Deadliest lead of the sharpest lives
by Irma Ran
Summary: -SEQUEL to Troubles in Domino Town- Night has never felt this eerie and dangerous in Domino. When your friends want you dead and your best friend is your deadliest enemy, where will the path lead you?
1. They came cloacked in night

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING.**

**Sequel to alternative ending of 'Troubles in Domino Town'.**

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_With every step, something made a small noise. Either a chain, bandages or her shoes. But still it was a small noise, no one gave it much attention. She was walking slowly, right beside the walls of dark street. A few lamps gave off weak light. If by chance any person crossed path with her, they either almost ran pass, or stared at her rudely. She was used to it, so it didn't bother her. After all, she did look unusual._

_Very long black coat covered her form, long sleeves hiding her arms and weapons. Black hood was pushed so low over her head and face, her eyes were covered. Stopping suddenly, she slightly tilted her head, without exposing her eyes. Senja bar. A very elegant bar in the middle of Czech street. Most people didn't know that, but Czech Republic has great style._

_Walking in Senja bar, low electro music greeted her. Only a few people were there and barman gulped when he saw this eccentric girl walking towards him. Without a smile, she ordered to hit her with an expensive vodka quietly. He nodded and left. She could hear people whispering behind her over the music. Slowly, she looked up. There was a long horizontal mirror where bottles stood behind the bar._

_A young attractive woman greeted her. She was covered in long black coat with sleeves that went over her fingers and a hood that covered her head. Under the hood, smooth face was seen, ghost white. Eyes, that were long ago big, innocent and emotional, were now watchful, smaller, intense, careful not to give away any emotion. They lost their girly charm and gained womanly feel, that went well with their colour – storm gray._

_Long, very well-kept hair was falling down, free – not in ponytail or two tails, her shoulders and stopped at her stomach. A few bangs were falling right in the middle between her eyes. In contrast to her black coat, her hair was deep scarlet red. Many women would kill for it._

_She remembered, once upon a time, when she looked like a girl. Now she looks like a very, very fine woman. Even though her body didn't change much … since it was immortal._

_Her vodka arrived, and bartender sneaked away again like he'd be afraid she'll pull out a gun. Idiot. Just another idiot. She took a large sip of vodka and put the glass down loudly. If she'd introduced herself, he'd probably call the police. That's what people usually do when they get introduced to Morana, the Suffocator. That, or they run away, begging for their life._

_All bunch of idiots! She, take their life? Never! They had no idea, no fucking idea she was the only one who was keeping them safe!_

_She, who wander the world, killing vampires after vampires, werewolf after werewolf, demon after demon to keep human race safe. Yet, when they hear her name, they immediately think she's out to kill them. In fact, Morana the Suffocator wasn't her real name. But she has been wondering Slavic countries for three years and a half now, and when you kill creature of the night, it makes a weird sound, like he'd be suffocating. Hence Morana the Suffocator. Morana means death in Slavic language._

_And to keep these humans safe she goddamn deserves free vodka when she feels like it! But now … she needs vodka to help her face a hard decision. She's going back there … not because she wants it. If it was up to her, she'd never go back to that place, not even after a millennia, let alone three years and a half. But she needs to. It's her job._

_She hated Domino town. Hated. Ever since she left Domino, three and a half years ago. There was a man she once loved and didn't love her back. There were people who called themselves her friends, yet they never wanted to contact her after she left. There was … that girl …_

_A lot has changed in three years and a half. She kept her eyes on things in Domino, even though she hated the place and hated the people. Atem and Anzu were now a couple. Mai and Jounouchi were still 'just good friends'. Otogi and Honda were just like the rest; in their last year in school. Malik was taking care of Yami Malik, Yami Bakura and Bakura. Two psychos and a vampire. The Yami's returned to their old self; no longer willing to join forces with 'the good guys', they were plotting to take over the world – each in their own way of course and they were now again dangerous. Bakura is becoming more like his deranged Yami every day, who would have thought Bakura would become a psycho too. Malik was an enigma. He was neither good or bad, it seems he became quiet and more willing to spend time with Yamis and Bakura than Atem and his pack of heroes. Mokuba was taller and some sort of black metal teen, with hair in ponytail, black jeans, black metal boots and black T-shirt with CANNIBAL CORPSE imprinted on it in red letters._

_And Seto Kaiba was engaged with Isis Ishtar._

_Angrily, she took the last sip of vodka, smashed the glass and give bartender a dark glare that ensured her free drink and getting away with breaking the glass. She wouldn't go back in fucking Domino if not for major threat. There was a vampire war soon going down there. And the catalyst for it was her biggest enemy – Rin._

_Just her name made any demon, vampire, werewolf, fairy, elf, or any other magical creature shiver and start praying – even if they don't believe in God._

_»Ready to go, babe?«_

_She looked right, at slim, attractive man, who was now hugging her hips. Black hair fell on his eyes and he was wearing his usual arrogant smirk. Scott Ballantine. American gothic guy from underground. Fire elf. Her lover, her fianceé._

_She nodded, wondering how they are going to react when they see … the truth. Sweet little Ayaka became the Suffocator._

***M & R***_  
_

_»Rin is Queen of the Damned, literally. Satan, tyrant, sociopath, coldblooded murderer, whatever you want to call it.«_

_Sudden voice made Atem jump off the chair. If she wouldn't felt this dark hatred, emotion that was very foreign for her years ago, but was now her silent companion, she would have find it funny._

_It was well after one o'clock in the morning. Lack of moon's light made it pitch black outside. But they weren't outside, on this cold and unkind night. Scott pretty much ordered Atem earlier this day to call anyone with little magical power or relation with Sennen Items. Therefore Yuugi, Isis, Seto, Malik, Bakura, Yami Malik and Yami Bakura were all crammed in Yuugi's bedroom. Naturally, idiots Jounouchi, Otogi and Honda were here too, even though Scott specifically said people with no magic or no relation with Sennen Item are not to come, they'd only get in the way. But she expected it. Still it pissed her off, after all this time they were incapable of following perfectly clear orders. Looking sideways, she saw Scott pursed his lips. Unsatisfied too._

_They'd been hiding in shadows of the room, until all gahtered and she went straight to the point. Seeing how confused they all looked, she started again with her usual cold voice:_

_»Rin is Queen of the Damned, literally. Satan, tyrant, sociopath, coldblooded murderer, whatever you want to call it. She a vampire, but the most dangerous vampire ever. You think you can take her, but you're wrong. She's got whole Europe, Africa and Asia down on their knees, covered in blood and guts. Every creature fears her. Satan himself bows to her. Rin has a vampire clan named Stiah. Members are all vampire girls, very unusual vampire girls. Sixty of them. Rin leads Stiah to kill … no, massacre every vampire, werewolf, demon, elf or any other magical creature that comes in their way. She knows no mercy and they take everything the victims had; money, estate. Stiah cannot be broken. The girls are faithful to Rin, no one would betray her, they live for her, she gave them everything – status, power and wealth._

_Rin is the cruelest being on this Earth. What you two pathetic Yamis have done is nothing compared to her. She has no emotion, she's a block of ice._

_The Boss …« She momentarily lost her voice, but it lasted less than a second, and she continued in the same grave tone: »The Boss, who was once leader of vampire clan here in Domino, now has a new clan, and it's strong. But nothing compared to Rin and her Stiah. Boss is scared shitless right now – Rin is coming to defeat the last vampire clan who defies her in Asia. After that, she'll be going to America. Then, she'll rule. Then, there will be no creature of the night against her, only with her._

_This vampire war will last less than ten seconds. Staih will kill Boss and his clan, I know. I gathered you here only because you have a little power to keep Domino safe just in case something goes wrong. But don't come close to the war. Rin will tear your body open before you can even blink. She doesn't care. I should know. I am the best beast hunter in the world and Rin is the best beast in the world. I should know,« she repeated, not making eye contact with these people she hated now so much._

_»When?« silently asked Atem._

_»Already, small boy!« arrogantly laughed Scott and hugged her from the back like a lustful lover he was, and mocked the Pharaoh. »The war is going to happen in a few minutes!«_

_There was an uproar but she yelled shut the fuck up! and everyone obeyed. »Let it happen. One less vampire clan, and Rin will do nothing to the city, she wants to go to America. I just called you to keep city unaware and safe of the war.«_

_»Here's what we'll do!« happily laughed Scott, hugging her tighter. »You guys will follow us and we'll keep a watch on Kazumi street, to make sure no vampire cross the line of stone wall on the left to go to the city, capis?«_

_His wiggling body made her hood slip off. She was so different now, yet it took them only two minutes of silence to fully realise who was standing before them._

_»Oh my God,« quietly whispered Atem._

_»It can't be,« said Jounouchi equally quietly._

_She didn't spare a look in Seto Kaiba's direction. Scott let out a snicker. It made her wonder if he planned all this to see their reaction._

_»Morana the Suffocator,« he called her loudly, letting go of her body and looked at their faces, waiting for someone to comment on the name. But everyone stayed silent, stunned, so he continued: »Lead the way!«_

_Without looking at anyone she walked, her head held high, between Isis and Yuugi to the door and soon, everyone followed._

***M & R***

_War was already over. The other couldn't sense it, but she and Scott, due to their immortal status of elf and fairy, could smell vampire blood and hear cheers of victory of Stiah girls in the air. They walked silently by stone wall on Kazuki street that separated magnificent mansion where Boss used to live (no doubt will now fall in Rin's hands) and Domino city._

_»Ay- I mean, uh …« Yuugi was embarrassed. She didn't care and she didn't feel sorry for him._

_»Uh … how … does Rin look like?« he gathered the courage again, though his voice was small and she could sense him blushing from embarrassment. She stopped walking. Behind her she heard others stop. They stopped because she did, but she stopped because she sensed her. Looking sideways at Scott, she saw him standing there, arrogant grin like always on his face, hands in pockets, looking up at the wall. She followed his gaze and others followed hers, like robots._

_On the wall stood young woman. Shining leather black strapped boots. Fishnet stockings. Shining leather black skirt. Satin emerald green corset with black laces. Fishnet gloves up to elbows. A big, cross pendant around her neck with two blood scarlet diamonds. Her magnificent rich black hair up in high ponytail, dancing wildly in the wind. At the tips of her hair were curls. Hair in the front was long and covered her entire right eye. Emerald green eyes were elegant but merciless, cold and monster-like._

_Without saying a word (Scott and her have heard she is very quiet and rarely talks), Rin pierced every one of them with an unemotional gaze that let them know they are only food to her. She locked eyes with her last. No emotion. No recognition._

_Rin turned and disappeared. In the distance, she heard Stiah girls are going silent,probably following Rin who knows where, maybe to rob Boss mansion. She looked at Atem, Seto Kaiba and others. They just received another shock of the night. Feeling Scott's hand gently touch her shoulder, a cold smile crept on her face. It was good Rin showed up the way she did. _How else would I explain to them Rin looks a lot like crazy version of Amaya?

***M & R***

She looked at her black wrist watch impatiently. Things should be all right here. Rin'll probably take over the estate, stay a few nights and let Stiah girls have their fun, then flee to America, to enslave it. Still, precaution was her job.

»Stay,« she ordered sharply, making everyone, except Isis, jump from harshness of her voice. Scott gave out a manic giggle. »It should be fine now. But safety is important, I still have Night Crawling Demon to catch and kill tonight.«

It was true. It wasn't just Rin; Rin was the most usual of unusual threaths all elf fairies that walk the path of Beast Hunters face. Scott got info on strong Night Crawler Demon vibes in centre of Domino. Those bastards need to be killed before they crawl into people's dreams and suck their life force.

»You stay here for about an hour, then-«

»Enough! You drag us here, for _nothing_, and now leave us here, to do _nothing_ for one hou-«

»QUIET.«

She didn't raise her voice. It was cold, emotionless harshness in her tone that made Seto Kaiba speechless, left with gaping mouth. Grey eyes stabbed him with pure dark hatred. Hatred, that has been harbored for three years and a half.

»After an hour, if nothing goes wrong, you can go home. Rin'll stay a few nights, I'm sure, but she's got her sights set on America, so I doubt she'll make any trouble. With all vampire corpses, Stiah girls have enough to eat. You just make sure no vampire goes over the wall. I have to do my job, it's the only reason I'm in this God forsaken place.«

Without looking at anyone, she turned on her heel and walked away, with head held high. By her side, Scott's usual arrogant grin has been replaced with wide mocking smile. She had wondered … on the way to Domino, was Scott jealous? Worried? He seems to be so happy that she blew off and then ignored Kaiba. It's hard to tell any emotion, beside arrogance, that might flow through Scott. It's just the way he is.

But he has nothing to worry about, if he ever worried. She's engaged to him. And Isis also got what she wanted.

»Oh,« said Scott and stopped. »And if any of you little kiddies need to be rescued or are too afraid to do anything if big, bad vampire shows up, use this.«

With one strong and incredibly quick movement, he threw something white towards the group. Atem barely caught it. Holding it tightly, he raised it to the light of street lamp. It was a long whistle on a silver chain. Whistle was said to made out of left rib of Grim Reaper himself. She was sure it was. She kept on walking as Scott followed her, still talking to Atem.

»Yeah, whistle that if in danger. And _Death_ will come to you. For you.«

»Death?« Pharaoh asked quietly.

Morana kept walking and soon she disappeared out of sight, her body swallowed by night shadows. It was her lover, Scott, who slowly stopped and turned around. Hands in pockets, arrogant grin, accompanied with ironic smile in his eyes.

»Yes. Morana, the Suffocator.«

Manic giggle was heard from him, then they lost sight of him in the darkness.

***M & R***

Black, wet hair fell on dark gray eyes. Mouth was open, saliva all around it. Tongue sticking out, with small, thin stream of blood. There was little piece of meat, the neck, then nothing. They used to call him Boss.

She held his severed head in her snow white hands with long, elegant fingers with cat-like nails, painted rose pink. For a second, her spoiled rose pink eyes lingered on his lifeless ones'. Then she let the head fall. As soon as it hit the dark brown polished floor, she crushed it with her black stiletto boots. A whimper escaped her lips when blood and brain splattered over them.

»Hee hee! It's your own fault, why'd ya stick 'em in there!« annoying voice mocked her. With sharp intake of breath, her cheeks not red, but rose pink from embarrassment, she screamed: »I know that! And learn to talk properly, you're not a whiny eleven-year-old girl!«

»You're the one to talk about being whiny,« another voice, more low, joined them.

These three girls were called The Circle. All sixty Stiah girls were in faithful clan, serving Rin with all their undead little hearts. But the Circles- as they called them- were three chosen girls, who had the honour to walk side by side with Rin. They were sort of her secretaries; they made sure to recruit new girls, care of the Stiah, gather information and do everything Rin wants them to do. Dream of every Stiah girl is to be in personal contact with their leader Rin, who was a legend. But only the Circles could do that. Naturally, like in any other form of star-worshiping, battle for Rin's attention was wild and everyone fought madly to prove themselves being worthy of The Circle.

For last three years, this honour belonged to Poison Pink, Perky Blue and Sickly Green. Poison Pink was a spoiled, whiny girl, who always wore girly black dresses lolita-style. Her long hair was rose pink, like her eyes and fingernails. She is the one who took Rin worshiping to new level. Yet she is incredibly skilled vampire and master of brewing poisons.

Perky Blue, girl who mocked Poison Pink, has shoulder-length electric blue hair. Eyes and fingernails of the same colour. She wears black and blue electro style clothes. Her name comes from her perky, happy-go-lucky attitude. She has amazing brutal strenght in her arms.

Sickley Green is a little taller than the other two, with short light green hair, and, just like the others, eyes and nails of same colour. She has extremely thin eyebrows and heavy black lipstick and green eye shadow. Her style is elegantly gothic. Sickley Green has a fascination in everything morbid, and kills her victims by torturing them in the most gruesome ways possible.

Poison Pink took off her stiletto boot and threw it at Perky Blue, who screamed and jumped off the couch she was happily lying on. Sickley Green raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes, while Poison Pink pouted her lips and turned to tall, purple velvet chair in the corner of the room, who was almost completely covered in darkness. Only two long legs in fishnet stockings and black shiny leather strapped boots were visible. The legs were elegantly crossed, and unmoving.

»Rin-sama, Rin-samaaaa,« Poison Pink ran to the chair, sat down and put her head down to cold skin of her leader's legs. »Rin-sama, tell Perky Blue to clean my stiletto's!« Still pouting she hugged cold legs.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then Rin's face slowly moved in the light. Like always, her eyes were reaped of all light. Monster-like, they gave off feeling of emerald green ice. Or so her left eye did. Her right one was always covered in thick black bangs, that fell on right side of her face.

»Did you know …« she said in her usual emotionless, quiet and sugary voice. This voice silenced the most though men and monsters in the world. It felt like poison was dripping from every word. »… that _Morá_ means _nightmare_ in Slavic language?«

The room was quiet. Only Poison Pink looked up and asked in her spoiled voice, wanting to catch Rin's attention any time possible: »What's wrong, Rin-sama?«

Rin ignored her and slowly turned her head to look out of dusty gray window, where Stiah girls were seen in the backyard, eating Bosses' vampires, chatting, laughing.

»Should I worry about my dolls?«

Stiah girls were her dolls. Her precious little dolls. Sickley Green stood up and said in determined voice: »Rin-sama, do not be worried. I will go and make sure Stiah are all right. I'll take care of it. The Sun will be up in two hours, I'll get them inside right away and assigned them places to sleep.«

Without looking at her, Rin nodded. »Always a big help, Sickley Green. It's a _pleasure_ to have you with me.«

Sickley Green couldn't help a satisfying grin creeping on her black lips. It was unusual for her to smile, she only did it when she heard her victims scream in pain and agony, but she was just praised by Rin herself. It was a big honour.

»Thank you, Rin-sama,« she said and walked out of the room, ignoring Poison Pink and her ugly looks of jealousy, that made her pale cheeks turn pink again. Perky Blue seized her chance and quickly said: »Rin-sama, do you need anything? To drink, eat? A blanket? A book?«

»_I'll_ get it, if Rin-sama needs it!« burst out Poison Pink and stood up. The two got into another fight. Rin silently stood up and disappeared out of the room. She needs to find Bosses' bedroom, to sleep. She'll have a _long_ night tomorrow.


	2. Blood city

Cold wind was blowing on outside world. Sky was painted a pleasant soft orange. Sun will raise in ten minutes. Morana turned away from the window. Scott has rented a five star apartment high on Domino's tower. Somehow he always got the best of what he wanted. Best clothes, best apartments, best champagne … best Beast hunter as his lover.

She slowly slided off her black coat. Without it, she felt strangely exposed. Cold, emotionless expression never left her face. She was always like that. Even smiles were overrated.

»We can go tomorrow night,« suddenly spoke Scott, standing next to her, hands in pockets, arrogant smile. She smelled his strong cologne. »We can go to France. We currently don't have any jobs, so I was thinking we could go to Paris.«

Her face remained unmoving like stone. Yet she was a little surprised. Scott Ballantine has never struck her as romantic.

He gave out a manic giggle. »I'm not romantic, I just thought you might like it. Women usually like such … _places_.«

She turned her head, sharply, and looked at him with cold storm gray eyes. Intensity of her look have made brutal demons cry and beg for their pathetic lives countless times, but it had no effect on Scott. He merely smirked wider.

»Yes, yes, I won't read your mind again.« He walked in bathroom and closed the door behind him. She breathed in angrily. Scott doesn't have have any respect for privacy and often invades her thoughts. It made her mad and wary, but he always knew where the line is and he never crossed it. It almost seemed like he loves her best when she's angry or depressed and lost. He was a wicked elf. Has his career made him almost as deranged as the demons he hunted?

And if it's true … has it made any effect on her? All this killing, slaying. People so easily accept death of someone bad, someone evil, someone who they _think_ deserves to die. But aren't they monsters because of that? Because even if you kill a demon, a werewolf, a vampire … murder is still murder. Everybody wants to save the world, everybody wants to change the world, but no one wants to do the dirty work, that's why they're glad hunters exist – so they can be the murderers, not them.

And she's a murderer. A perfect killing machine, to kill other perfect killing machines. She's no different, no different than Rin. It doesn't matter if you take away lives for good or bad, _murder_ … is still just _murder_. The last second, last moment before you plunge silver sword in chest of a demon, none of his evil deeds matter. None of your good deeds matter. In that moment, part of you dies, the part which didn't want to kill, take life away. In that moment, demon has a special look in his eyes. Not realisation he's going to die. But he traces the most important moments in his long existence, thinking if his life was worth living.

Isn't it sad? The moment when you and your victim entangle together, in the most purest form.

She exhaled and slowly lied down on french bed. The sheets were black. Pillows were black. Scott has twisted taste.

She never wants to remember how it felt the first time she killed. It was traumatic for her. Scott never lets her go that deep inside her mind. Her mind is like a spacious world. But there are some dark, luring houses there. Houses, whose doors she never wants to open, because she knows she will hate what she'd find there.

Her eyes closed slowly in a very rare moment of tenderness. She was a little cold.

This is her eternity. Sacrificing her immortality, the chance to be happy and without worries fly with other fairies, for blood stained hunts. Everywhere she turns, it reeks of _death_. It reeks of _Morana_.

The bed shakes a little and strong scent of man's cologne hugged her face. Through her closed eyes she sensed it has become dark, though it was day outside by now. Opening her tired eyes, she saw curtains closed and Scott's face right above hers. He was lying next to her, one hand on her hip. It was warm.

For a moment, her just watched her with his arrogant grin. Then he lowered his head and started kissing her neck. Feeling his weight upon her body, she moaned uncontrollably.

Days were their nights. When you're hunting beasts, you have to be awake when they are, which meant sleeping through days and hunting by nights.

Before she completely surrendered herself in his arms, that were now all over her, hugging her so tightly it almost hurt, she faintly wondered if Rin ever misses the Sun. If she even remembers what it feels like.

***M & R***

Atem leaded the way. He did it automatically, he was the leader, so it came naturally to him, he didn't need to think about it. Yuugi, Jounouchi, Otogi and Honda followed him, not thinking at all, just followed the leader. But leadership is something that is incepted in a lot of people, so Seto Kaiba and his fianceé were more reluctant to follow, natural leadership Kaiba nurtures inside rebelling against Atem's. Still, it was Isis who pushed him forward. Male ego didn't restrict this intelligent female, and she understood this is a situation they together must talk about. Kaiba gritted his teeth but still followed the Pharaoh, automatically trusting Isis's judgement. Without knowing. Like so many world's leaders before him, he trusted woman's judgement without realising it. And he'd deny it strongly if confronted with the fact the most strong and intelligent leaders in history unknowingly trusted woman's nature.

»We have-«

»What do you mean _we_?« spatted Yami Bakura, like the word »we« is poisonous. Atem stopped and turned. Like well-thought sheeps, others stopped too, with Kaiba crossing his arms to express dissatisfaction.

Yami Bakura stood quite a few steps behind them. By his side was Bakura, dressed in black sweater, with dark blue jeans. Their eyes were now almost the same. It was like this for three years and a half, but still it send unpleasant cold shivers down their spines at the sight they thought would never occur; Bakura had, in fact, become his Yami. It was not that surprising, considering Yami Bakura IS his past life. Doesn't that mean darkness was always in him, he just never opened it? But all that never crossed others' minds.

There was a large and thick black umbrella opened above Bakura, and he was playing with its handle. It was necessary if he was out in the sunlight.

»Pharaoh, just because this brief encounter gave you flashbacks, don't assume it wrongly. It was only a once-in-a-lifetime chance that we worked together. I am sick and tired of you treating me like I'm just a little more bad version of a hero. Do not forget I tortured and slaughtered. I _enjoy_ it. I _love_ it. It gives me a fucking erection. I can and will do whatever I want, I am immortal, like you, and I have my own path to walk on. And every chance I can get at killing you, I _will_. Probably torture you, not kill you right away. I do like to play with my food.

So don't fucking stand there and say we're in this together or any crap like that. Soon, the only world you'll live in will be mine, and there'll be nothing but darkness and suffering waiting for you. I am not, never was and never will be part of your little gang bang.«

He turned and walked away casually, one hand in pocket. They watched his back in silence, then Bakura stepped forward.

»I hope you don't expect me to stay, so you can pretend to be my friends and pretend like you care about me … like you used to.« As he spoke, two sharp teeth were clearly visible. Vampires could always hide them, but he never did. He didn't bother. »I have nothing to do with this. Or you. I'm not even sure why I came.«

He turned and twirled his black umbrella, walking on the same way Yami Bakura disappeared on. Malik didn't comment or move. He became estranged during these three years. It seemed he'd rather talk with _them_ than Atem and his friends. Isis was worried, very worried, she could not understand.

This time, however, Malik showed signs of wishing to stay and listen to what Atem has to say. Yami Malik was in deep thought and after Bakura left, he looked up in surprise, like only now realising he was still here. Careful to chose the way far from the one Yami Bakura did, he walked away, not saying a word. It was a childish form of rebellion these men had; though they all lived in Bakura's house, they would walk on different paths to it, desperately trying to show they are not in alliance. Another example of great lenghts men will go because of their ego.

Anzu, Atem's girlfriend, was already waiting in room Yuugi and Atem shared. Her hair was long, very long, it stopped at her waist. Bangs in the front were cut in straight line above her eyes. She wore pink strapless top, blue jeans and pink platform sandals with black socks. She still had girl-like charm.

Mai, who got a call from Jounouchi, was also there. Dressed more like a warrior duelist, her hair was up in ponytail. Red top with straps, black shorts and knee high red stiletto boots. Her style was unbeatable. As the boys were telling strange events that occurred to them in embrace of cold night, Mai bit her lip and crossed her arms, looking strikingly like Kaiba. But Anzu got more and more serious, looking almost gloomy.

»We should try to contact Ayaka again,« suggested Honda. »Isn't her name Morana now?« spoke up Yuugi.

»It doesn't matter if she changed her name, I think we must discuss what happened three years ago with her, we-«

»I think we should let it be,« quietly interrupted Anzu. Atem widened his eyes. This was the first time she had interrupted or disagree with him. Usually she stayed sort of … _inferior_ to him.

Anzu didn't look anyone in the eyes, knowing what reaction her next words will have. »I think we should let Ay … Morana be. Don't talk with her or try to find her. Or Amaya, for that matter.«

»That's nonsense!« raised his voice Atem, like she expected. »We have to confront her, ask her what she's been doing. She's so changed now, you should have seen her!«

»I care about her, I need to know what happened,« said Mai and looked at Anzu, who was still staring at the floor. With loud _hmph!_ the brunette stood up and send an ugly look at Mai, then walked towards the door. Opening it, she let her hand rest on door frame, and spoke angrily, while others watched her back.

»Let's be honest! Let's be honest with each other right now! I look like a bad guy now, but in reality, I'm just saying out loud what you all are thinking; the only reason we want to talk to her is because of our own selfishness! We feel guilty for what happened three and a half years ago, guilty for not stopping her from leaving when she was devastated because of us, Kaiba and her best friend! Guilty that all this time we never even _bothered_ to contact her to see how she was doing! We want to talk to her because _we_ want to feel better about our acts, not because we want _her_ to feel better! Are you listening to yourselves? Amaya, or what was it … Rin? Rin isn't even mentioned in conversation! Because as soon as she became a vampire and killed Nerissa and Bosses' clan back then, we thought to ourselves: _oh, she's evil now, she's gone to the other side_, and we don't feel guilty about it like we do in Morana's case, we feel _ashamed_! Ashamed of our own prejustice! Because we don't feel sorry for Rin, or Amaya should I say, because she's a vampire! And we're ashamed of being ashamed, that's why we avoid bringing Rin up in conversation!

To go even further; we don't care about them, we just want to feel better, we want to believe we have nothing to do with this … this … drastic transformation! And all of you are just too ashamed to say the truth out loud …«

She took a deep breath.

»That we all want to see them _dead_. Because that would make our lives so much less complicated, and we can live on without any stains of guilt or shame. So we can keep being heroes.«

There was a heavy, thick silence in the air. Anzu slowly turned and continued more calmly.

»Do you know why I want you to leave this alone? Just like all of you, I don't care about Morana or Rin, but I once cared about Ayaka and Amaya. And for the sake of Ayaka and Amaya I once cared about, I think the last act of kindness we can show then is to be out of their ways, they don't deserve us being all over them because of our own selfish reasons.«

She turned and walked down the stairs. Atem was wide-eyed. Jounouchi was staring at the floor, like Anzu had been moments ago. Honda had his hands in fists. Otogi shook his head but said nothing. Yuugi looked sad and lost, looking at Pharaoh for support. Mai was wildly biting her lip, nervous.

Then Kaiba un-crossed his arms and said in emotionless voice: »I don't have time to be here.«

He walked away, with Isis around his arm. She was quietly saying something to him and he kept nodding. When they disappeared, Malik, who has blended in with the wall, stepped forward. »I have to agree with Bakura. I too am not sure why I came here.« Egyptian boy followed Kaiba and Isis down the stairs. Atem clenched hands in fists, like Honda had before. What is the point in arguing with Anzu, if you're not sure she's wrong?

***M & R***

Full moon was mocking any creature of the night who wanted to hide in the darkness. With its piercing light, she made it hard to find a shadow to lure in. Perky Blue was wondering streets of Domino, cursing the unusually bright night. Her hands were bloody.

She wanted to do this, for her leader, Rin-sama. No one knew much about Rin-sama's past, she never talked about it, but wild rumors and stories were circling around Stiah girls. Like that she killed her boyfriend. Tortured all of the Domino. They were just rumors, but there was something they all knew; Domino is where Rin was born. Perky Blue breathed in and out anxiously. She'll be in so much trouble. Maybe Rin-sama will kill her! No! She was doing it _for_ _her_!

Still, she forced Sickley Green to tell her what she knows about Rin-sama's past. And she got names … so she started with the first-

»There she is! There she is! I told you Rin-sama she was out here somewhere!« Annoying, spoiled voice of Poison Pink interrupted her thoughts. If she'd still be alive, Perky Blue's heart would be beating wildly. Rin-sama is here! What will the punishment be? She slowly turned and looked up. Down the street, Poison Pink was standing, with a victorious smile on her face, her arms wrapped around Rin-sama's arm. Perky Blue didn't dare to look her leader in the eyes.

»Perky Blue, what have you done?« Soft, quiet, sugary yet poisonous voice was sliding around her body like a snake.

»What have you done?« repeated Rin. Perky Blue blinked, still staring at the ground, big tears fell from her electric blue eyes.

»Poison Pink, go back to the mansion.«

»Oh no, Rin-sama, I'd much rather stay here and watch,« Poison Pink replayed with evil smile, watching crying girl before her. Rin turned to look at her and whispered in very loving voice:

»Are you disobeying a _direct_ order? From _me_?«

The whispering hit Poison Pink like a sharp silver sword. Her bottom lip was trembling. She muttered an apology and quickly disappeared. Rin slowly walked to crying Perky Blue. She was taller; her trusted blue doll hardly reached her nose. Like a lioness stalking her prey, she started walking in circles around Perky Blue.

»Why did you leave the mansion when I specifically said no one was to go in Domino center? We don't need any hunters on our tail now. We need to go to America.«

Perky Blue sniffed loudly and words came pouring out of her mouth, like she'd be afraid she won't have enough time to live to explain herself. »I'm deeply sorry, Rin-sama! I … I was trying to … to help you! I thought you might … like it … if … if … if some certain people were … dead! So-so … I …« Rin stopped right before Perky Blue's face and asked silently yet lovingly: »Who?« Perky Blue looked up at her leader and whispered through tears.

»Honda Hiroto, Rin-sama.«

Moon was blinded by a dark cloud. It made Rin's face unbelievably eerie. »Go to mansion.«

»R-Rin-sama?«Perky Blue could not believe her ears. Rin-sama … won't kill her? »Stay there. Don't tell anyone what you have done. I'll take care of it.«

Perky Blue blinked. Rin was gone.


	3. Cold monster

Honda's eyes were pulled out of their sockets. Blood was everywhere. His tongue was torn out. Smell of blood was everywhere. His arms were broken on multiple places, lying at unnatural angle. Taste of blood was everywhere. It was such a horrible sight, normal person would run out of Honda's residence and throw up.

But Morana wasn't normal person.

She didn't need to go into the kitchen; she already smelled blood of his parents. Honda family was dead. Erased out of existence. Her gray eyes stared unemotionally at his empty bloody sockets. There was a feeling of disgust rising in her, but nothing more.

Scott had mocking smile plastered on his face. With hands in his pockets he stared rather too cheerfuly in massacared boy before him.

»Come out,« suddenly spoke Morana. Scott looked up from the body.

Rin walked forward from the shadows in the corner of the room, where she has been waiting. Her green corset was replaced with dark red corset, slight smile on her lips. Her mad eyes locket gaze with Scott's. He let out a manic giggle, bowed himself before the vampire lady, then walked out of Honda's room, closing the door behind him.

Rin started circling Honda's body, staring at Morana, who kept her eyes on brown haired boys' bloody face, circling around him also.

»You didn't do this,« finally stated Morana. Rin raised an eyebrow, her smile still on. No, this wasn't Rin's doing. Rin was a calculated killer; she would never made such a mess. When Rin killed, it was swiftly and clean.

»If I say I did it, no one would dare to state otherwise,« whispered vampiress with soft, sugary voice.

»Will there be more?«

»Like you care.«

»It's my job.«

»To be a murderer?«

Morana swallowed. The question lingered unspoken in the air. It needed no answer; both women knew the answer.

»You have some interesting clan. With stupid names.«

»Now, now Mora, play nice,« whispered Rin. Her voice sounded dipped in sugar. She always called her _Mora_ – it meant _nightmare_ in Slavic language. Rin's way of having fun, probably. Morana has always called her Rin. No use for any of them to have their old names. Those persons were dead now. New »life«, new name. Simple.

»Did you know, darling …« Rin slowly caressed dark red corset she was wearing, whispering in that sick, sugary voice, »that vampire's nature shows from inside out? If, let's say, you're as happy and perky as Perky Blue, your light personality will show on your skin. Hair. Eyes.«

»I've heard of it.«

The women kept circling around Honda's body, now staring in each other's eyes.

»But I never believed it until I saw your clan. Yet your hair and eyes stayed the same … at least colour.«

Rin suddenly let out such a loud and mad laugh, Morana twitched a little, but remained emotionless.

»Even the best Beast Hunter is wrong sometimes … aren't you?« whispered vampiress. She raised her hand slowly. Morana hands clenched in fists, as for a moment, she thought Rin will pull her eyes out of their sockets. Instead, she did something she couldn't see. Vampiress closed her eyes, putting her hand back down, holding something. She opened her eyes.

Rin's once emerald green eyes were very dark red. Darker than blood. Now her eyes looked even more mad and monster-like. Or at least one of them did, since her right eye was always covered with long black hair. The colour matched her dark red corset. Morana stopped circling. So did Rin.

»Darling Mora … don't be so surprised. Did you think I came back in Domino just to eliminate Boss?«

»…no. I thought you must have something else in mind. But I didn't voice my concerns.«

Rin nodded. » I came here …« she clenched her hands in fists, crushing contact lenses into thousands sharp pieces, »to cut any string of my past … left.«

Morana's face remained like stone, but inside her mind was running wild. Rin is here to murder and destroy everything and everyone that reminds her and knows of her past. Fuck. This means she'll have to stay in Domino longer than she wanted. And she'll have to protect those bastards.

Rin suddenly looked up. »Cold … we are … so cold …« With last whispered words, she laughed madly and disappeared.

***M & R***

Anzu was in her room, reading Cosmopolitan. Atem promised to take her to a movie tonight. Only ten minutes to go …

_Knock knock._

Anzu jumped out of her seat. Finally! Does she look okay? Why is she so nervous? It's best to greet him with a wide smile …

Carefully placed smile froze on her lips, pink from lip gloss, when she opened door of her room. Before her stood black and dark red vampire.

»_I was five and he was six,_

_we rode on horses made of sticks…_«

Rin began to sing quietly and took a step forward. Anzu took a step back, terrified.

»_He wore black and I wore white,_

_he would always win the fight…_«

Anzu screamed and tried to run, reaching for window of her room. But Rin was faster. Rin was always faster. Jumping, she landed on Anzu, pinning her to the floor.

»_Bang bang, he shot me down,_

_bang bang, I hit the ground,_

_bang bang … that awful sound …_

_bang bang my baby shot me down…_«

»What's going- NO!« screamed Atem from the door. Rin laughed and in a second, tied Atem on the door with a chain. She kept his eyes open and left him there to scream, as she slowly walked back to Anzu, who was crying on the floor, quietly singing the song with her sugary voice.

»_Seasons came and changed the time,_

_when I grew up I called him mine…_

_he would always laugh and say: remember_

_when we used to play…_«

Rin grabbed Anzu by her hair and forced her head up. she was crying, sobbing, screaming, waving her arms. Atem was screaming, a lone tear down his cheek. Mazaki's parents were already dead. Strangled bodies lay in the kitchen. Atem must have walked by it without looking in it.

»_Bang bang, I shot you down,_

_bang bang, you hit the ground,_

_bang bang… that awful sound…_

_bang bang, I used to shot you down…_«

With free hand, Rin grabbed both of Anzu's arms in one swift movement. For a moment, everything was calm. Then she gripped tightly and pulled. Anzu and Atem were screaming their lungs out as two terrible cracks were heard. Rin let go and Anzu's arms fell by her sides, unmoving. Broken. Rin still held her head up by her hair.

»_Music played and people sang,_

_just for me… the church bells rang…_«

Atem begged and pleaded. Anzu chocked on her tears and screams.

»_Now he's gone, I don't know why,_

_and 'till this day sometimes I cry…_

_he didn't even say goodbye,_

_he didn't take the time to lie…_«

Rin looked in Atem's eyes. They were wide, crazy, full of tears. Gazing in his eyes with her cold ones, she slowly grabbed Anzu's neck. She began to sob harder and Atem began resisting the chains wildly.

»_Bang bang, he shot me down,_

_bang bang, I hit the ground…_«

Rin's nails pierced Anzu's soft white skin like a steel knife. In one movement, she locked her fingers around Anzu's throat … and ripped it out of her body.

»_Bang bang… that awful sound…_

_bang bang… my baby shot me down._«

Anzu's body slipped to the floor, eyes open. The body was still twitching. Rin kept her eyes on Atem. Moment of silence. Then silence was ripped apart by Atem's long, suffering, mad scream. Rin didn't even move. She simply turned and disappeared out the window, humming the melody of the song she was singing.

Atem kept screaming, screaming and screaming. Chained to the door, he struggled so hard to get free he began hurting himself.

Suddenly, Scott came running in. Without glancing at Pharaoh in agony, he stopped at Anzu's body.

»Looks like I'm too late,« he commented. No grief, no guilt, no compassion in his voice. Only arrogance. Putting his hands in pockets, he observed the corpse. Morana entered the room. She looked at Anzu for a second, then turned her emotionless face to the Pharaoh. Taking a sheet from Anzu's bed, she wrapped him in it and stuffed large amount of it in his mouth to stop his screaming. Then she put her arm around his neck, whispering coldly in his ear:

»Piece of advice for you, and you can tell it to others too … if you want to get out alive … run for your life.«


	4. Mourning

During Anzu's funeral, Morana surveyed the group carefully. Lot's of people had gathered in the graveyard, to mourn Anzu and her parents, but Honda as well. The police had already been informed, and they were investigating the murders, but as usual, there wasn't a most useless thing to do. Honda's funeral took place right afterwards. The rest of them were just looking like statues the photographs of their so dear friends, whose graves were next to each other. No one could utter a word. The marble of the tombs was so cold… It was the beginning of the end, wasn't it? They had always been together. Now the rest would have to follow… But they didn't want to die. Not just yet. The prospect of dying was so dreadful, so intimidating! All the things they hadn't experience yet… And it was so gruesome! So grotesque! Shizuka had thrown up so many times, she almost fainted. Everybody was so lost… They all had the same empty look in their eyes.

"Are you sure it's alright for you to take place in this?" Scott showed up beside Morana. "After all, you're the one who didn't get there in time to rescue them."

"I don't have any obligation of that kind." She retorted coldly. "And I'm not attending. I'm just standing away."

"Oh well, sure, whatever." He shrugged, not believing her even for a second. Morana had still feelings for them. He just knew it. "Why are you here then?"

"I want to talk to them when all the other people will leave. Here. Above Anzu and Honda's graves. Only then they can realize what's really going on."

"A carnage." He murmured. "I don't think we can stop it on our own, Mora."

"Why, are you afraid?"

"Not at all. Just stating the facts." He thought about it for a while. "Anyway, why don't you let Rin slaughter them? You don't even like them… as you say."

"It's my duty to protect innocent people from becoming sacrifices. No matter who those people may be." She was stony, but Scott could tell the hue of hatred her voice had taken. He smiled. It satisfied him. "Let's go. It's just them now." They both disappeared from their spot, to show up next to the group the other second.

Atem turned and looked at them, but said nothing. He didn't want to say anything, he just wanted them out of his sight. Yuugi could not talk either. The constant sobbing would never let him. Mokuba and Shizuka were in the same condition. Otogi and Mai didn't even bother, besides a fleeting gaze. Bakura, Malik and their Yami's hadn't even bothered to come. Jounouchi looked at Morana with so contemptuous eyes, that she felt pure hatred boiling inside her. She gritted her teeth. For a reason, she hated Jounouchi more than any other, even more than…

"What do you want, you useless brats? Don't you have work to do, vampires to kill, other lives to destroy?" Kaiba Seto. He remembered… He remembered when Amaya had told him something like that, back in those happy years. Of course, he'd never forget. It was so difficult for Morana to control herself, but she miraculously managed to. The fact that Isis was beside him wasn't helping her either.

"Shut the fuck up Kaiba." She just stated. "I'm only here to warn you."

"Well, apparently, that didn't work so well for those two." He indicated at the graves. "You don't have to tell us things we can't conclude on ourselves. Rin is after us. Probably she wants to clear up her past, so she can continue living like the beast to her heart's content. Isn't that right? Well, I think we pretty much caught up on that. Your job is to kill her, yet Anzu and Honda are dead! You're useless, and I'm not fucking going to trust you!"

"If you think that I'm going to take any shitty orders from you…" She shook her head, she didn't have time for this. "Fine! Do what the fuck you like! But I have to tell you on their graves: If you don't run away, you'll regret it! You'll end up just like them!" She pointed at the tombs.

Atem walked towards her. She was prepared for another one of his speeches. Instead of that, she almost received a slap. She grabbed his hand before it would touch her cheek of course, but it was a huge shock either way. Scott got immediately ready to attack.

"Go away." He whispered, with the blond bangs covering his eyes. "Traitors will always be hated."

Morana honestly wanted to kill him. _She_ was the traitor? _She_? Oh how much she hated them all! How much she wished they would just die, burn in hell! Why was it still affecting her that much? What they were thinking of her… She hated them! She turned away, grabbed Scott and disappeared. She had no idea there were still so many emotions inside of her. And she hated that the most.

In Rin's hideout

The evening had just fallen. Rin grabbed herself a glass of blood. She was, well… Satisfied. Happy, in a way. Poison Pink, Perky Blue and Sickly Green had just been summoned, and now they were kneeling in front of her. The feeling of power was making Rin even more excited than usual.

"As you know, I came to Domino for two purposes." She started. _And not only them._ "One, kill the Green Mafia Boss. We already accomplished that well." Poison Pink let out a small, deranged laugh in that. "Second: We have to eliminate all the ties to my past. Only then I can rise up above every other vampire, and we can build our Empire, acquiring power that's beyond imagination! That, and I want to see them suffer." She added at the end. Pink and Blue laughed, along with her. "So now… There are some people I want dead, but I have no interest in killing them myself. I can leave that job to you, right? Do it well."

"I can assure you, my queen, that we'll make your desires reality, even if it gets us killed." Sickly Green declared seriously.

Rin smirked. "Good. Now: Poison Pink, I'll let you handle Otogi Ryuji. He's a womanizer, you know what to do." Poison Pink winked. "Perky Blue, I'll let you have Shizuka. I was indecisive between her and Kujaku Mai, but yeah, it'll be more fun to torture someone who will actually put up a fight. That bitch Anzu was worth only for teaching Pharaoh a lesson." Rin tossed her hair behind gracefully. Atem's screams were still echoing in her ears like the finest music. "And you, Sickly Green… I think I'll make a gift to my old friend and have you eliminate Isis Ishtar." Green nodded. "Do your jobs without being noticed, swiftly but also painfully. Got it?"

"Yes, my Queen!" All of them chirped in unison and disappeared. Rin looked up at the sky. So tonight would be a moonless night… One of her favorites.

Back to the hotel, Scott was trying to calm Morana down, but being not such a considerate person wasn't helping the situation at all. "I thought you didn't care anymore about them. Why are you so angry?"

"Because they always degrade me!" She threw a fit. Damn, she was always so composed, until she met them! "They are always, always…" Fortunately, the knocking on the door interrupted her. Morana suddenly remembered who she was. She was the Suffocator. No matter what they'd tell her, she shouldn't mind them. Let them die like that, if that's what they want. She took a deep breath, and she was her usual, cold self when she opened the door. She faced Isis Ishtar.

"Good evening." The Egyptian woman greeted them. Scott waved his hand, while Morana arched an eyebrow.

"What are you doing here? I thought your fiancée would like you to stay away."

"I came to consult you." Isis was serious. "I believe that only you know how we can protect ourselves from Rin. So please, tell me."

"There's nothing more I can say. Run away."

"If Rin really wants to eliminate us, that won't prevent her from searching us to the end of the world, am I wrong?"

"I'll deal with her. That's what I do." She was Morana, the Suffocator. Of course she'd have to deal with it.

"I got it." Isis bit her lower lip and nodded. _You refuse to help us further._ She turned to leave. "Oh, just for the record." She said, having her back towards Morana. "We're not really engaged. Not that it's any of your business…"

"Then you are even more pathetic." Morana shut the door closed.

"Look who's talking." Isis mumbled. She sighed. There wasn't anything left for her to do there. She walked out of the building, quite depressed. The new situation was more dangerous than usual… She turned right in the corner.

"Well, hello there." It was the last thing she heard. Everything tuned green…

"Morana! Outside!" Scott sensed it. Both of them jumped out of the window to the empty, dark street, ready to fight. Scott motioned towards the dark, right alley.

Isis's body was hanging by the wall. Sickly Green had finished the job rather quickly, given the fact that it was so close Morana's house. She had grabbed Isis and shoved her back into the wall, where her head was pushed through a big nail. She was literally pinned in the wall. Blood was dripping from her head down to her shoulders and body… It was like a really rare piece of art.

"Where to now, Scott?" Morana asked, more or less indifferently.

It took him some minutes to sense it. "Oh… To that blond boy's house… Jounouchi, was that right?"

"Oh…" Morana just said. "Well, it's not like we're in a hurry." She shrugged and just walked.

_Why do you hate him that much? What did he do to you? _

"Onii-chan! Onii-chan!" Shizuka was so scared… She didn't want to die! Perky Blue grabbed her by the hair. Jounouchi was tied up on the table, he couldn't move.

"Stop!" He cried. "Stop, why are you doing this? Stop!" Tears started streaming down his face. Shizuka was crying too. She didn't want to die! She was so young, she didn't want to die!

"Onii-chan…" Perky Blue stuck her tongue out to mock him. "Your sister loves you so much, she would even give her _heart_ to you!"

"NO! STOP IT! STOP IT!" The screams were tearing him apart.

_Why I hate him so much? _

Perky Blue delved her hand into Shizuka's chest. The girl stopped crying abruptly. Her eyes doubled in size. The pain… A choked sound escaped her lips. Jou stopped screaming too. The shock was just too much. He thought for sure… This was a nightmare. He'd wake up. He'd wake up soon, right? There was no way this was happening… They would all go to the beach tomorrow, right? Like they had promised… He was just loosing it, it wasn't real! It wasn't real!

_Because he's just a loser dog. _

Perky Blue withdrew her hand, removing in the process Shizuka's heart. The body stopped moving, the eyes were vague. Perky Blue licked the still beating heart gaudily in front of Jou's disbelieving eyes. Then she approached him… She came really close… And let the blood drip on his face, between his eyes.

_A loser dog, and yet… _

She knew, she learnt afterwards. She learnt that back then, Kaiba had bitched her off in order to save Jou. So it was okay to make her hate him… It was okay to hurt her feelings, if it was for saving Jou? Was it okay to hurt her like that, to crush her, for someone else's good only? When she arrived outside Jou's door, she knew that she was already too late. He was alive. Cute little Shizuka wasn't there anymore. Cute little Shizuka…

…_He cared about him more than he ever cared about me. _


	5. Letter written in ink

She knew he wasn't there anymore. She had sensed it. It was curiosity that brought her here. To read the letter he left behind.

Mokuba's room changed a lot. Rin was never, not even in the past life, in it. But she assumed death metal posters that covered the walls were not there three and a half years ago. Black sheets. Black curtain. Drawers full of heavy jewelry that he left behind. The room still had a scent of Mokuba's skin, though he has left an hour ago.

Mokuba, the forsaken child. If there was ever one who Rin considered to understand the feeling of being cast out of Atem's gang, it was surely Mokuba. She handled their rejection on her own, with rebirth to Rin, the cursed queen.

Mokuba, however, was another story. It must have hurt really bad when Atem's gang and his own brother didn't spare a thought that the whole situation that occurred years ago had any effect on Mokuba. _He's a kid_, they thought, _he barely knows what's going on and he'll get over it. He doesn't understand the complicated feelings about this_.

But he more than understood. And he kept it inside, let it grow … Did Kaiba never wonder why Mokuba turned out to be a troubled teenager? He didn't; he comforted himself it was just a phase. And more than anyone, Mokuba knew how it felt to be forsaken by people who claim to be _friends_.

Rin's thin long fingers slowly gripped the white letter on the table. Licking her lips, she read the words, written, surprisingly, by a feather and black ink. The boy clearly has a sense of being dramatic … unlike his brother.

_Seto._

_Would you be so kind and read this letter out loud to Atem and the others for me?_

_First off, I am terribly sorry over the loss of Anzu and Honda. I liked them a lot. But I can't lie and say I didn't expect that. Well, not that literally, but something similar. Ever since Amaya had vanished three and a half years ago, I had a terrible feeling. And I was sad. So sad. I liked Amy and Aya, and after she was lost …_

_I couldn't just move on like the rest of you. To you she was gone, swallowed by darkness, to me, she needed to be rescued, shown that no matter who or what you become, a choice of light and darkness is yours. It's not fangs that make you who you are; it's your actions. I understood that. I tried to tell it to Aya, who at the time, was the only one who didn't tell me my way of thinking is stupid. But she was too grief-stricken for my words to get through to her._

_And then I knew, if I don't act quickly, Aya too will lost her way. But no one listened. Everyone hated them for no apparent reason. Their hearts weren't lost, only their sight of the dawn._

_Aya left and I spend three years wondering what would happen if I'd have been more persistent. To force you all to see that this is our fault too, what happened to fight for the ones you care about?_

_Can we sit and blame our lost friends for what they became, when we were the ones who pushed them there in the first place?_

_There was one who listened to me. One who believed me. And she's with me now. Yes, Seto, I'm running away. To save my life? Perhaps. I have no illusions; Rin is capable to find me even if I hide at the bottom of the ocean. And when she comes, I'll be ready. I am no match for her and I will die. That's not why I'm running away. I'm going with Rebecca on a long journey. I'm not sure if I'll ever come back. I cannot stay here anymore. I need to find myself and learn how to forgive myself for not taking a stand for two friends, who were at that point to weak to stand up for themselves._

_If by any chance or miracle we are both still alive and I come back in Domino, please welcome me with open arms._

_If I return and you are dead, I'll take my life. I am not capable of living without you or mourning for you for the rest of my life; my heart would sooner or later explode from sadness._

_Do me favour, Seto. For once in your life, drop your defenses and be honest with your emotions. There is a person who you once tried to protect by your defenses and it only cut her so deeply, she bleeds to this day, though she won't admit it. Your protective plans always backfire, Seto. Stop hurting people you STILL care about and yourself._

_Farewell._

_Mokuba._

Rin blinked her eyes and put letter back on the table. She could smell Mokuba and Rebecca. They were only at the Domino shore, waiting for a ship that will come in ten minutes and take them to Europe.

Rin turned. Her black hair with curls at the tips made a spiral. In five seconds, Mokuba and Rebecca's dead bodies could be staining the Domino sea. But not today … if ever. Rin opened the window and landed on the ground. Without a last look at Kaiba mansion behind her, she started walking away. _Yes_, she thought, _Mokuba knows. He understands. _Licking her lips again, she stopped. Her dark red eye, the one that was not covered by rich black hair, scanned the grinning girl before her. Poison Pink had a huge smile on her face. And no blood anywhere. _Good girl_, thought Rin, _always does her job clean_.

»Rin-sama, Otogi Ryuji has been taken care of. Can't say we didn't have any _fun_ before I poisoned his drink, after all, he was really cute!«

Rin nodded. She didn't care if Poison Pink fucked the shit out of Otogi, as long as he's dead now. Quite a nice way to die, for him at least. Though she ordered the death to be painful … oh well, she won't make a fuss over Otogi.

»Did you take care of Kaiba?« happily asked Poison Pink, as Rin walked pass her and the pinkish girl hugged her arm.

»No. I want to save Kaiba for one of my last victims.«

»And younger Kaiba?«

»Let's go back to Boss mansion. I have to speak with Perky Blue and Sickly Green.«

»Yes, Rin-sama!«

On the other side of the Domino, Mokuba and Rebecca have just boarded the ship. His thoughts are black, full of death and suffering, while she tries her best to be a light for him. A light that will guide his heat to peace.

Unknown to Mokuba, who is now sitting in a chair, looking sadly at the city, and Rebecca, who is pretending to be reading a book, but is sending him worried glances every minute, death will never come to claim them. They will travel around Italy, France, Germany, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Canada. In ten years' time, they will get married. They will have two children. A son, who they will name Seto, and two years later a daughter, who they will name Aya. They will only once see Rin. She will nod in acknowledgment, and then disappear. Mokuba and Rebecca will have a happy life and they will never return to Domino.

But they don't know that now, as the ship is sailing away and they're holding hands sadly, giving one last long look at the city they will never see again.

***M & R***

Bakura lazily opened the door, but before he could utter a word, Atem barged pass him, saying he's sorry to disturb but they must talk. Bakura was getting so angry, his fangs seem to have grown bigger as he watched Jounouchi, Mai, Kaiba and Yuugi walking in behind Atem without his permission. Slamming the door he turned and growled: »This is MY house, Pharaoh, you have no right to come here unannounced! Rather, you have no reason to be here _at all_!«

»You're wrong,« spoke loudly Atem, feeling a little hurt Bakura had called him a _pharaoh_, instead of using his name … like he used to. »Another one … has been murdered …« his voice broke and trailed off. Bakura clenched hands in fists but showed no sorrow.

»O-Otogi …« whispered Jounouchi. The sudden disturbance of otherwise quiet night lured Yami Bakura, Yami Malik and Malik out of their rooms. The usual fight between them surfaced and went on for about an hour, before Kaiba finally yelled for silence, to read Mokuba's letter. He read everything except the last part. He couldn't bring himself to read Mokuba's wish for him to 'be honest with his emotions'.

Mai swallowed hard and slided down on the couch, staring in the distance. »I've heard something similar to Mokuba's letter before …« she whispered sadly, remembering Anzu's speech. Atem turned and looked at her sharply. »It's doesn't matter! It's Ayaka- I mean, Morana's job to kill the filth, and so far she has done nothing-«

»Nothing great heroic pharaoh would find worthy?« spoke quiet, sugary voice behind their backs. Mai looked up. The others turned.

There, balancing elegantly on the plasma TV, was Rin. Her shiny black leather strapped boots made no sound as she walked on the TV like a cat. Her fishnet stockings and gloves were black and elegant. Dark red corset reflected the light in the living room. Except Atem, the Yami's, Bakura, Malik and Kaiba, everyone else gasped at the sight of Rin's dark red eye. Behind her was a wide window. Full moon was directly over Rin; making her seem like an eerie dream.

»Is it not tiring for Morana to keep up with your- and your-« she looked at Kaiba for a second, »bitching and moaning about how unwanted and how useless she is? I would think so,« she concluded quietly, raising an eyebrow and smiling creepily. She made a few silent steps on the plasma before she continued.

»You two would go much further in life if you'd get rid of your ego. Morana has kept humanity safe for three years, while you two … were going in school and made a little money? Morana gave you a warning while you … chose not to listen? Morana wanted to help you while you … yelled and send her away? It seems to me you two are really useless, while she does all the work.«

Her eyes met Bakura's. She stopped. It was not the first time she looked at him since returning to Domino, but it was the first time she had actually _see_ him. He looked like his Yami. His eyes … were the same as Yami Bakura's. His fangs were clearly visible. Something deep, deep, deep inside of her stirred. It was the first time she had faced him … since she turned him into a vampire.

Seconds of silence passed. It seemed Rin wanted to say something to Bakura. Then she blinked turned her gaze to Atem and continued with her poisonous sugary voice, while balancing herself on TV again.

»You two think your egos are going to shield you … from _me_?« she quietly sing the last word. Atem swallowed but said nothing. Kaiba didn't meet Rin's eyes and he didn't comment, which was unusual. He was just staring in Mokuba's letter.

Rin lifted her gaze and looked at Jounouchi. He stared back at her, broken, full of hatred.

»Jounouchi … why do you hate me? Weren't we once such good friends?« she said in mocking voice. Hot tears came down his face. Mai let out a whimper, but she didn't look at her.

»What a lovely night it has been. It's so sad, but I must go now. But don't worry, we'll see each other soon enough.«

In blink of an eye, Rin was gone. Heavy silence followed. Then Bakura snapped. »What the hell are you waiting for? Didn't I say to get out of my house? Go away! Go away!«

»Bakura no, we have to-«

»_We_ don't have to do anything, because _we_ don't exist. Have you understood nothing we told you the other day? We're not in alliance!« yelled Yami Bakura at Atem, furious.

Suddenly Kaiba turned so quickly, his long coat made a swish noise.

»I … have to … have things to do,« he said in grim voice. Only Jounouchi knew where Kaiba was going. He followed him silently. As they walked through the door, closing it, and with it screams of still fighting Yami Bakura (who was joined by Yami Malik, Malik and Bakura) and Atem, the blonde he stated matter-of-factly: »You're going to see Morana.«

Kaiba stopped and turned around, his bangs covered his eyes. »Are you going to stop me?« he whispered. Jounouchi shook his head. »I want to go with you.«

Kaiba nodded. For a moment, Jounouchi thought he saw a glimpse of Seto's eyes. They seemed full of tears.

Meanwhile, in Domino's tower, Scott was laughing while Morana was silent. They stared at a big, dark chocolate cake. It was waiting for them on the table when they came back. On top of it, in dark red decoration was written:

_Don't worry, my darling Mora, I'll kill you last_.

There was a red heart drawn by those words, together with Rin's signature. As Scott's laugh filled her ears, Morana wondered whose blood was that red decoration on the cake.


	6. An Eye For An Eye

Morana had smelled both of them before they even knocked on the door. And she hated the fact that they did, but she understood it was inevitable. "Scott, open the door."

"Alright honey, but I don't remember being your butler." Though that may have sounded as if he was offended and annoyed, he was still smiling nastily. Morana rolled her eyes, only to look at two very familiar human forms the next second.

"Sorry for the intrusion." Kaiba said as he marched in, not seeming sorry at all. His eyes never left Morana's. "We need to talk." Were they a bit red around? Was he crying? Morana inwardly smirked at the mere thought.

"About what?" She teased him. "About Mokuba leaving? Come on Kaiba now, seriously. With that attitude of yours, what did you expect? It was meant to happen, sooner or later, I honestly wonder what took him so long. How do you feel now, that there's no one left to care for your sorry excuse of a person?" She was enjoying this so much! He should learn to feel the pain when someone you love abandons you. It was about time, it served him right!

He curled his fists and closed his eyes shut for a moment, to regain his composure. He couldn't afford to lose it. Not now. "I didn't come here to exchange insults with you, Asha." He looked at her, sternly.

"My name is _Morana_." She coldly corrected him. "And if that's true, maybe Mokuba should leave more often."

"Mokuba will come back only if this circus is over." He would say what he had to say, and then she could hurt him all she wanted. "I'll cooperate. Whatever needs to be done, I'll do it. Be it the bait, or whatever else you want, I don't care. I'll do whatever possible to stop Rin!"

Scott and Jou waited patiently at the corner till then. Jou was unusually silent. Rather vague. He didn't seem to notice his surroundings. Scott seemed rather indifferent, but when he heard Kaiba's last words, it was like he woke up. He grinned sardonically and approached Kaiba with large steps. Morana noticed that. "No!" She extended her arm and stopped him. Scott made a face like someone had just deprived him from a nice meal. "Go get _that_." She pointed at a room behind, while glancing at Jou. Scott sighed, a let's-do-that-too-you'd-better-appreciate-it sigh, and disappeared.

Morana turned to Kaiba. "There's nothing you can do besides proving us some silver bullets… Though we already have reliable weapons. I'd suggest you follow Mokuba."

"If I do that, she'll come after us and kill us! I need to stop her before she lays a hand on my brother!" Was she just not _getting_ the situation at hand?

"If she wanted, she would have. I'm pretty confident that she smelled him when he left, just like Scott and I did. If she wanted to kill him that bad, she'd have gone and killed him." Morana said simply.

Nevertheless, Kaiba could feel the earth disappearing under his feet. "And if she already has… and we just don't know it yet?"

"We would have smelled the blood. And Scott would have con-"

"Why…" Jou interrupted her suddenly. She turned to face him. He was looking at the ground, but when he noticed that she was looking at him, he returned the stare. His eyes had no more tears to shed. "Why didn't you help Shizuka? What did she ever do to you?" The image of Blue ripping his sister's heart off would haunt him for the rest of his life. Everything else seemed so worthless.

"I couldn't catch up." Morana stated coldly.

Jou shook his head. "You lie." The words were calm, but so pained… "You lie… why? Why?" The 'why's continued until Jounouchi's knees hit the ground. He wouldn't cry, but he'd bury his face in his hands, continuing repeating why, his whole body shaking.

"Jounouchi, come on…" Kaiba tried to calm him down, and placed a hand over his shoulder, kneeling beside him. Morana's head could explode from jealousy and anger. Really, when did she become so little? Why was it so annoying when he'd be kind to anybody else? But of course now he could understand what Jounouchi was going through… He was this close to lose his own little sibling after all. And he had no one to care for him. Morana knew very well how it was to be all alone.

Scott had returned. "I know it doesn't make things right," He talked to Jounouchi, "but at least this may have you feel a little better." He dropped Perky Blue's decapitated head in front of Jounouchi's feet. The blond just stared at it from shock.

"It's true, I wasn't in a real hurry to save your sister." Morana started to explain. "But I had just discovered Isis's fresh corpse. Rin has assistants; I know three of them, including this one." She stepped on Blue's head, holding it in place. "I had to check out the area. I'm sorry to say this, but I wasn't valuing your sister's life more than mine. Whoever killed Isis was different than Blue." Jou couldn't take his eyes off Blue's tortured, dead ones. Everything on that soaked in blood head was forming a silent scream. He didn't feel happy about it. He just wanted all that horror, that nightmare to end. Morana continued: "Fortunately, I caught her after she was leaving your house. Rin gave me a present," She smirked, remembering the cake. "But I had already given her an even better one."

"And may I say that she tasted delicious!" Scott licked his lips and let out a deranged laugh. Kaiba and Jou looked at him somewhat scared.

Morana thought it was about time to tell them about Scott. "Scott is a Life Trader." She didn't need their questioning looks to continue. "He's a magical creature, like me and Rin, but he's feeding off dead souls. The more violent the death those souls had, the more nurturing and tasty they are for him, as he feeds mostly off their strength of emotions. And of course, it's even better if it's a magical creature's soul. They sustain him, and he trades the souls that were in him for too long for the ones he currently consumes, because he has already sucked the pain and anger from the older ones. Understood?"

"So…" Jou tried to grasp it. "My sister…"

"Will remain inside Scott until her pain fades away." Morana nodded. "So will Anzu, and Honda, and Isis, and Otogi."

"Otogi too…" Jounouchi was so numb… Everybody was falling apart like the flies do in winter. It was just a matter of time until they died too, wasn't it? Morana didn't care. She wasn't there to protect them in particular. Her eyes were set only to Rin. There wasn't anything he and Kaiba had to do there anymore.

Sickly Green presented Blue's headless corpse in front of a disbelieving Rin. Perky Blue's heart was also ripped off, and in it' place there was a letter: _Thanks for feeding my boyfriend dear._ Sickly Green was wise enough not to utter a word. Poison Pink didn't care about Blue, but she was so scared about Rin's reaction, that she could be used as a driller. She was trembling that much.

Rin was just staring at the body without moving an inch, without even blinking. She couldn't grasp the nerve of Morana, the anger was too much to handle. No one was touching her subordinates! No fucking person in the world had the right to do that! You mean… while she was lecturing Atem… Morana was killing Perky Blue? While she was sending cakes, Morana was ripping Blue's heart off…

"YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Rin lost it for a moment, and grabbed a nearby chair, throwing it with all of her strength onto the wall. It broke into tiny pieces with a loud crash. Green and Pink couldn't dare to move a muscle. Rin inhaled and exhaled deeply, in an attempt to calm herself down. After about five minutes, it seemed to work. Her tensed frame seemed to relax a little. Poison Pink was about to say something, when Rin's cold fantastic dialogue cut her off: "Okay Mora. If that's what you want, let's play harder." It was a mistake. She shouldn't have thought of Morana as diffident Ayaka.

_Fine Mora. Let's rock._ She thought, and then she turned swiftly away and disappeared.

Kaiba and Jounouchi were walking back from Morana's house. Jounouchi had calmed down a little, now that he knew his sister had been avenged and the pain was being sucked out of her soul. On the contrary, Kaiba was even more depressed. The night had never seemed so intimidating before.

"What shall we do now?" Jounouchi asked him at some point.

Kaiba sighed. He'd thought about it for some time now. "You should go to Mai." Yes, he should go there. He still had someone who cared about him here. "She must be really scared with everything that's happening. You should go and keep her company."

"Like I would be able to protect her." Jou mocked reality.

"Would it be better to leave her all alone?"

"No. You're right." Jou didn't want to admit it, but he thought he needed Mai more than she needed him. They walked together for some more, until they had to follow different roads. "Goodnight." He greeted Kaiba, and turned right at the corner.

"Goodbye." He heard the other saying. Instinctively, he turned to see Kaiba's back disappearing at the shadows. Something caught up in his neck. He knew then that those would be the last words he'd hear from the other. He whipped the upcoming tears and went on his way.

Kaiba knew that his house were different the moment he stepped in. He'd thought about it a lot. He couldn't let himself die. If that happened, Mokuba would die too. But would he, really? He just wrote so. Seto was sure that Rebecca wouldn't allow him to do such a thing. And who could live all alone? Especially when that entire massacre was unfolding, it was so easy to lose any will to live further. He could just sit and wait for Rin to come…

"Hi Kaiba." He heard a familiar, cold voice behind him. "It's been a long time since we had a teit a teit session. Did you miss me?" The long, black hair was waving on the air.

…But that's not who Kaiba Seto is.

"Not at all Natsu." He turned, pulled a gun out of his coat and shot her numerous times. It seemed like Rin was avoiding each silver bullet easily, yet one of them scratched her right cheek. There were many shots heard until Rin got where Kaiba was and shoved him down. Falling, he hit his head on the nearby coffee table. He yelled out in pain and got dizzy, and that gave her the opportunity to tie his arms behind his back and straddle him. She turned him to lie on his back, so they could stare right into each other's eyes. Hers were so crazy, so deep red, matching the blood falling from her cheek.

"What I'll give you," She was breathing heavily from excitement, "Is the fact that you put up a decent fight… for a human." After some minutes, she started breathing normally again. He would still refuse to say anything. "Make yourself comfortable Kaiba; we're going to have all night. You know why?" She licked her lips, and he just continued to glare. "Because no one will come for you. Mokuba won't come. Atem won't come. Ayaka won't come. Jounouchi won't come. Each and every one of them has more precious persons to take care of. No one gives a damn about _you_."

"Are you done yet? I'm honestly bored." Kaiba scoffed at her, and smirked. What was there to lose anymore? It wasn't like anyone would come to his rescue, as she had so kindly put it. Rin smirked back.

"Don't worry. I have many interesting things in mind." She pulled a dagger that was hanging on the belt of her waist. "Ah, I never liked your tongue you know." She placed the dagger on his lips. "Let's put it to a good use. Lick it!" She commanded him.

"Fuck you." He just retorted. Though he was sure she'd use the opportunity to shove the dagger in his mouth, much to his surprise, she removed it. And she was smiling.

"Honey, that can be arranged." She played the dagger in her hands. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to fuck the guy Morana used to have a crush on? She did something that irritated me greatly today, after all." And she ran her free hand onto his thighs, and then she cupped his crotch.

That was a hit under the safe zone. Kaiba started thrashing. "NO! Stop it!" He screamed, his eyes tightly closed. _No, anything but that!_ Rin was enjoying this so much. Now that she had managed to scare him, it was easy.

"Come on Kaiba, I'm not that ugly." She chuckled. Of course she wasn't ugly. She was drop _dead_ gorgeous. He'd hate it and love it. "Like your eyes…" She brought the dagger up under his right eye. "Do you mind? I want to take them home." He gritted his teeth and glared again. It was so…

She didn't do anything like that. Instead, she brought the dagger decisively up to his neck.

"I would love to play with you more, but unfortunately, I'm out of time." The dawn was dangerously close. Kaiba refused to believe that she'd just kill him without torturing him even a little. What the fuck was going on in her twisted mind? She looked down at him again, and pressed the dagger. "What are your final words, Kaiba?"

"Go to hell!" He spat, and then she swiftly cut him. She rose up, as the blood was staining the carpet, and looked out of the window, where the sun would soon emerge in the sky.

"Been there, done that." She whispered, and then she disappeared.

Early the next day, Morana and Scott visited the hospital. They had been notified by the group that little Yuugi had gone missing. Atem was ready to fall apart from the pressure. He somehow managed to persuade Malik, Bakura and their Yami's to go with him and help searching. Jou had preferred to go to the hospital, and Mai had remained home.

As soon as they arrived, they met the doctor. "How's… Kaiba Seto?" Morana was finding it difficult to ask. She didn't want it to seem like she cared.

"The damage was so precise, I was amazed. He went through surgery and he'll be alright, but…"

There was always a 'but'. Morana waited impatiently. Jou was already in there, beside him! She had to go and ask Kaiba about Rin!

"…We had to remove his vocal chords."

She turned to the doctor so abruptly, that Scott thought her head was going to fly off. "What?"

"I'm sorry." The doctor tried to explain. "He lost his voice. He'll never again be able to speak." Before Morana could digest the information, the doctor searched through his pockets. "Oh, and I was told by someone – it's so strange, I don't remember who – to give you this note." He passed her the paper, and she grabbed it hastily.

Who could not recognize Rin's writing style?

_That was just the beginning._

_I'll come to play some more! _


	7. Painful kiss

Rin no longer wore her rich black hair in ponytail. She let it fall freely down her back. Small curls were still at the tips of her hair. Licking her lips she stick her nose in the dark evening's air, taking it in. Morana will be here in two … one …

Red haired girl landed gracefully right before Rin. As Morana looked up, she smiled. Though Rin didn't return the smile, she stepped forward and hugged her best friend.

When they parted, Rin raised an eyebrow and looked amusingly in the face of very perplexed Seto Kaiba.

»I don't think he liked flying that much,« commented Morana. Kaiba send her a dirty look, opened his mouth and obviously yelled something, then his eyes became paranoid and he gripped his throat as no sound came out of his mouth.

»Sorry about that,« casualy said Rin and motioned for Morana to follow her inside.

»I told the rest Seto Kaiba is dead,« began explaining Morana, as the two women walked down the dark corridor of Boss mansion. Rin was nodding calmly, while Kaiba kept jumping around them, waving his arms and pointing to them, to his throat and all around him.

»I think it was a good idea convincing Scott to tell others Kaiba was dead, and saying to him he's away with Mokuba. That way Scott won't get suspicious.«

»I agree. But Mora, our chambers are getting full, it'd getting harder to keep our guests inside without Scott sniffing them out.«

Kaiba jumped right in front of them with an angry face, opening and closing his mouth, like he's screaming something, but they just avoided a crash with him and kept walking.

»Then I have some really bad news, Rin. Scott received a mail notification today. Melania is sent by Fairy Council to help us investigate 'Rin case'. They grew impatient when me and Scott haven't produced any results.«

Rin sighed. »You mean, Melania forced Fairy Council to let her assign this case.«

»Exactly.«

Melania was a high rank fairy. She often wore frilly pink dresses, had pointy long red fingernails, curled blond hair that was build up high on her head and spoke like a baby.

But she was a cunning bitch. It was Melania who came to Rin, or back then, Amaya's rescue and kill Boss' clan. She let out Amaya from dungeon. When latter questioned why, Melania just said vampires like her need to show the world who's boss and urged Amaya to train to become first class killing machine.

Soon after her training, Rin escaped Melania0s clutches and traveled to find Ayaka. Only when she find her, Aya was Morana, under the authority of Melania, the fairy in charge of beast hunting. Overwhelmed about finding each other again but confused over on who's side Melania is, they devoted months to investigation of Melania's background.

Results were shocking. Melania was highly respected fairy on who Fairy Council depended on, but at the same time she was searching for newly transformed vampires and brainwashed them into mindless blood spilling and massacres. Beast Hunters under her control killed a lot of minor vampires, but never the most dangerous ones.

Something dark was going on. Rin and Morana, though each building up a respected name on their own field, were working together in utmost secrecy, keeping their eyes on Melania's actions carefully. When they discovered she has her sight set on Atem (for reason they still haven't discovered yet), they were forced to build this image of cruel Rin and hunter Morana.

As much as they hated their old 'friends', they were afraid something big is going to happen if Melania gets her hands on Atem. And as long as the gang hated Rin and Morana, they kept their minds occupied by that and didn't notice anything else. As for their friends and family … Melania had often used relatives and friends to threaten her victims, so they had to take them to safety … by building up illusions of their deaths, when in reality, all were quite well and spoiled by Sickly Green, Perky Blue and Poison Pink in the chambers of Boss mansion. They were referred to as 'guests' and Rin refused to talk to them and tell them what's going on. They were convinced they were imprisoned.

The harderst part was acting out murder victims in front of Scott, who they don't trust. A lot of work was put in Perky Blue's fake death so he wouldn't notice anything amiss.

If Melania is on her way here now … it's a bad sign.

Kaiba kept waving his arms, screaming silent threats and even giving them a middle finger every so often, but they barely noticed him and kept walking.

»She wrote in notification I have to gather everyone for a meeting tonight. She even wrote down names … I have no idea how I'll convince Yamis, Bakura and Malik to come,« continued Morana, giving a concerned side glance at Rin as she mentioned _them_. Her friend pretended she didn't hear anything. Morana has soon after they left Domino three years ago discovered the three men were a very sensitive subject, she knew her best friend well enough to know Rin felt terribly guilty for turning Bakura into a vampire, leaving Malik without a word and faking death of his sister because Malik had become Rin, or rather Amaya's very good friend. And Yami Bakura … Morana was not sure she knew what Rin's thoughts about him were, but she imagined how she would feel if Kaiba would slap her in a moment of lost control.

»I'll keep you informed,« finished Morana, as they came to the end of the corridor. »Be careful. It's better to keep me in dark if you don't feel it's safe to report what's going on,« suggested Rin and the women stopped a few feet away from high dark brown closed door that Poison Pink was guarding. Kaiba went completely berserk and started jumping up and down, red in the face from anger.

»I'm so happy he can't talk right now,« sighed Rin and they concealed their laughter from him. Morana leaned forward and whispered so quietly, no human could hear her, but a vampire can: »I didn't tell him yet his vocal cords are okay, that it's only magic.«

Poison Pink giggled, Morana winked at her and wave her goodbye, before spreading her magnificent scarlet fairy wings and disappeared. Kaiba waved his fist angrily after her, but Rin grabbed the back of his hair and dragged him towards Poison Pink, who opened the door. As she did, faces of Yuugi and Isis were briefly seen, scream of _will you tell us already what's going on_ of Honda was heard, but Rin just threw Kaiba in and Poison Pink closed and locked the door.

***M & R***

»Hello, hello!« beamed Melania with wide fake smile, clapping her hands together, making an annoying noise with her long, pointy bright red nails. »Are we all feeling peachy for the meeting?«

_Peachy_ was definitely not a word to describe the faces of bewildered people staring at Melania with scepticism and, in most cases, disgust. In Domino's tower, her and Scott's apartment, were Atem, Jounouchi, Bakura, Yami Bakura, Malik, Yami Malik and Mai, sitting on white chairs in half circle (that Melania had arranged). Morana and Scott were standing a little behind, each on one side of Melania, and for once, Morana was having a very difficult job remaining emotionless expression. Corner of her lips kept twitching as she put inhuman effort to not giggle like Scott was doing right now. For the gang and the villains' faces were _priceless_.

Atem was wide eyed with twitching eyebrow, while next to him Jounouchi looked like someone had told him he can celebrate his birthday twice a year, only to tell him the second later it was a joke and he can never celebrate anything ever again. Mai, keeping her legs elegantly crossed, was looking around and she seemed very uncomfortable. Morana knew her well enough to know if Mai'd look directly at Melania, she'd burst out laughing (and add a few witted remarks about her looks).

And villains were a sight to remember too. They were like a set of two twins and had never looked more like each other as they did now; Yami Malik, like Scott, did not bother to conceal giggles and chuckles raising from his throat, while looking amused, staring at Melania. Malik, on the other hand, was clenching his chair with one hand and covering his mouth with the other. His eyes were hidden by sand blond bangs and every now and then his body shook violently, but he let out no noise. Morana knew how hard it was for him to hide his laugh. Yami Bakura and Bakura were in the same pose and had the same facial expression; crossed arms and such perplexed looks, like they never saw a girl before and the sight before them was unbelievably disgusting. Now that their eyes were the same, and so was the hair, the only way one could tell them apart was by Bakura's fangs that he never hid.

Melania, being fairy, naturaly smelled a vampire among them and even if she wouldn't, his fangs were clearly visible. Fluttering her eyelashes, she bended a little and put her hands on her knees.

»You boy are a little scary vampire, aren't you sweetie?«

»No,« answered Bakura, »I'm a fairy godmother.«

There was a loud laugh from Yami Malik and Scott, Morana had to pinch herself to stay quiet, Mai snorted and Malik gave another violent shook.

Melania straightened up and coughed, embarrassed. Then she corrected her blond bangs and continued like nothing happened.

»You all have a little problem with a vampiress who isn't very friendly.«

»That's an understatement of the year,« muttered Jounouchi under his breath.

»Not all,« spoke up Malik, »she left a few of us quite alone.«

Melania blinked in surprise. »But honey, she murdered your sister a little!«

Mai let out an uncontrollable laugh, but it was short and she calmed herself down. Malik was trying hard not to giggle as he said: »I know she was murdered … _a little_.«

Mai was now having such troubles concealing laughter, she had to pretend she was coughing. Melania looked at her.

»Bless you dear, you seem to have a throat problem. Do you want a syrup for that nasty cough?«

Morana let out something between a laughter and a giggle, attracting Atem and Jounouchi's attention. But not for long, Melania began talking away cheerfully.

»I was assigned to this case …«

_More like you forced yourself into it_, thought Morana.

»…because this is an unusual case!« she finished loudly, looking around with hands on her hips, obviously waiting for some agreement or maybe enthusiasm and cooperation. All she received were giggles, disgusted looks, rolling eyes and Yami Bakura's quiet comment that her hair is an unusual case.

»Well, come on dears, haven't you wondered?«

Everyone was still silent. Melania shook her head.

»About the deaths! Where are the bodies? Why wasn't police informed? Thank god it wasn't, it would make our job as Beast Hunters a lot harder, but usually the police is almost always on the crime scene a few moments later! And why none of the family relatives miss the murdered families? It's like their memory has been tempered with …«

Morana felt her hands get hot. Damn this woman. Damn her to Hell.

To her horror, she noticed Atem, Malik, Mai and the two Bakuras suddenly alert. Only Scott and Yami Malik kept giggling, Jounouchi looked confused, but the rest seemed they have just been struck by realisation.

It was only thanks to three years training in self-control that Morana prevented herself from starting breathing faster from panic. These fools have no idea … she has to stop them from babbling before Melania finds out something she shouldn't! Thankfully, Scott wasn't paying attention to the bitch's words, or else she and Rin might have a huge, huge problem. Bakuras and Malik won't want to help her. She must not involve Scott, Yami Malik was naturally out of the question. Jounouchi might spoil something with his big mouth, Atem's ego was to high to reach … but Mai …

Morana locked hery eyes with Mai's, concetrating heavily with _look at me_ mantra in her mind.

»Now that you said that … I was wondering how it all happened so fast, and how nothing followed, no media circus …«

_Look at me, quick, before Atem says another stupid thing!_

Mai finally moved her violet eyes in a straight line with Morana's stare. Morana shook her head very shortly but harshly, like trying to get rid of a fly. Mai was confused for a second. Morana did two more shakes, before something sparkled in blonde's eyes.

»And also-«

»Oh, Atem, hush hush, you don't know what you're talking about!« immediately reacted Mai. Morana breathed in more easily. If Melania will indeed stay for a few weeks like she said, having a trustworthy spy inside the gang is a good idea. Why haven't she or Rin think of it sooner?

Mai stood up and throw her hair back, then looked at Melania with a _I'm-so-better-than-you _look.

»Why are we here? This is a waste of time, I'm going!«

Morana admired Mai's act and her knowledge of psychology. Admitting what everyone was thinking, how unfitting she felt in this situation, urged the other to follow, as following strong characters seemed to be in human's nature. In a few moments, everyone was on their feet, saying angry comments to Melania or talking with each other (or still giggling, in Scott and Yami Malik's case). Busy with Melania and her abnormal being, no one noticed a nod of gratitude Morana send to Mai, who only mouthed the words _you have some explaining to do to me later_, then left with a small friendly wave of elegant hand, that made Morana a little dizzy, as Mai's restored warmness and friendliness cause some long forgotten memories to wash over her mind.

But red haired beauty had no time for that, she needed to act quickly, while Melania and Scott were busy with the angry faces of the gang and the villains and she has to be so fast, Scott nor Melania will have the time to smell she will disappear for a few minutes.

Silently and carefully, she slipped out the window and opened her scarlet red fairy wings and flew high into the night air. Her escape lasted only a second.

It took her even less time to land in front of Boss' mansion. As soon as her feet touched the ground, the front doors flew open and she walked quickly inside, asking loudly: »Where's Rin?«

Before Poison Pink, who was behind the door could even open her mouth to answer, Rin, who had without a doubt smelled Morana and her disturbance of aura, had appeared out of nowhere, like she'd fall of the ceiling. With worried look, but steady step she approached Morana and didn't say a thing; she didn't want to waste precious seconds, if Morana had flew here in such hasty manner, it means Scott and now Melania too are unattended and will smell Morana's absence soon, so no time was to be waisted on foolish questions like _what's going on_, because it was bluntly obvious something _was_ going on.

»Melania questions absence of corpses and other things I can't afford telling you now, if she …«

»… gets near this mansion too much, not even the smell of sixty Stiah girls will be enough to conceal the smell of humans, got it,« immediately nodded Rin. Morana spread her wings again and quickly flew away with Poison Pink who was closing the door almost falling as she had to open them so quickly again. Morana trusted Rin will do what she needs to perfectly, right now she has to go back before her smell disappears from Scott's apartment.

Rin turned to Poison Pink and ordered, with no trace of sweetness or sugar in her voice anymore: »You, Sickly Green and Perky Blue get our guests out _right now_, take them to my villa in New Zeland and fly back here immediately after you finish. Tell Perky Blue she must stay in New Zeland, she must not come back here under any circumstances until I order so and must protect our guests with her life! When you and Sickly Green get back here, remove any traces of Perky Blue's scent!«

Rin didn't wait for usual _Yes, Rin-sama_ from her underling, time was of too great importance. She could sense Morana's aura back in the apartment and by disturbed parts of it turning calm, she understood no one noticed or sensed Morana's absence.

But Melania was unpredictable, and if she decides to take a look around this mansion tonight she'll smell humans here _alive_ without a doubt. So Rin must make sure Melania doesn't come here … by coming to her first.

Meanwhile, Morana was taking the empty white chairs back to their places around the table, while Melania still tried to convince Atem and Jounouchi to stay. The others left not along ago, as their smell was still very strong. Scott kept an amusing smile on his lips, then he suddenly blinked and said a quiet _oh_. Morana didn't need to wonder why, she too smelled Rin's scent and blood from the bedroom the vampiress just landed in. Melania froze in her tracks and turned on her heel, staring at closed bedroom door on the other side of the room. Atem angrily said something and left, with Jou closely behind him, but Melania didn't listen. She kept her eyes on the door.

»Scott Ballantine and Morana … what's your last name sweetie?«

»I don't have it.«

»Oh, it doesn't matter … now … you two stay here … while I … deal with … dear unfriendly Rin …«

She almost ran to the door, opened it and closed it with a bang. Then, there was nothing. No scent, no sound. Melania was on a higher fairy rank, which means she had the power to put protective shield over a limited amount of space. Which means other fairies couldn't hear or smell anything as long as the shield was up. Though it was only limited to fairies; Rin wasn't affected by it and Morana find that as long as she can smell Rin's blood she can feel somewhat comforted. She and Scott exchanged a few quiet looks.

Clock was ticking. It was over an hour, but Melania and Rin were still in the bedroom. Morana was nervous on the inside, but showed perfect calm on the outside. Scott sighed and said he's going to get some wine from the last opened supermarket. A few minutes after he left, and after his scent vanished, bedroom door opened for just a crack. Morana jumped from the sofa and walked right in it.

Rin was standing next to an opened window. There was no sight of Melania.

»Where is she?«

»She flew … a little before Scott. Shield is still going to be active for two minutes, so I used it to make Scott believe she was still here. I kept sending him telepathic messages saying he could really use some sweet wine right now. We're safe for two minutes now that his scent has evaporated.«

»Good call. And Melania? What happened?«

»Nothing. She kept asking me how I was doing and what I was planning. I told her my plans are none of her business. Then she smiled and said some nonsense about how fairies and vampires and other creature are not what they used to be. Told me to take care of myself and … left.«

»Our suspicions are confirmed then. Melania play by her own hidden rules. Rin, I'll go follow her.« Morana looked her friend confidently in the eyes. Rin kept looking out the window, but gave and of approval. Morana put together her hands and quietly whispered something to herself. Her body turned invisible only sound of her fluttering wings were heard as she flew out the open window.

Rin sighed silently. Perky Blue should be in the New Zeland already. Mansion should be free of her scent, if-

Black haired vampiress suddenly turned around. How could she not smell him lurking behind her? Her mind was to busy with Melania … how much did he hear? How long was he there?

Out the darkness of the room stepped Bakura. If she wouldn't have her vampire perfected smell, she would confuse him with Yami Bakura. But he gave off Bakura's vampire smell and his fangs were shining like his hair unusually brightly against a dark background of the room. Before she could do anything, he ran to her with inhuman speed, and locked his right arm around her neck. He placed his left cheek on hers and whispered in her ear.

»_I missed you_.«

His warm breath tickled her, and she wanted to move away, but again, like sensing what she's about to do, he moved faster; and kissed her lips.

The kiss was not sweet nor enjoyable. It was strong, rough and violent. His fangs pierced her skin and her bottom lip started to bleed. With long, slow drink, he sucked quite a lot of blood out of the wound. Panicking, Rin pushed him away, thrusting her hands against his chest hard, but the moment she touched him, he disappeared. Only his scent and her lips dripping blood were the proof something had happened here just a moment ago.


	8. Somebody Help Me?

"Guests? You have the nerve to call us _guests_?" Yuugi was reading out loud Kaiba's note at Perky Blue. The female vampire had decided that it was better to leave him without his voice, for she was sure that she wouldn't be able to stand listening to his complaints. But the son of a bitch had found a way! Now he had crossed his legs and was looking at her provocatively, while Yuugi was acting like his messenger. "You had us psychologically traumatized with the most cruel of ways, forced us to part with our dear ones and kept us locked into a cell, and now you took us in New Zealand and you dare to call us your _guests_? You fu…" That's where Yuugi stopped talking for a while, and his face was becoming redder after each second he'd be looking at the paper. After a good five minutes, he concluded: "You owe us an explanation."

"I usually don't say that, but I agree with Kaiba!" Honda added. "Is it that hard to tell us what the fuck is going on?"

"Yeah! You owe it to us!" Otogi supported the turmoil. Immediately, all of them started speaking altogether, except for Kaiba of course, who was about to explode. Otogi and Honda started banging at the bars, Anzu was plain furious and that was showing in her voice, Shizuka had started crying loudly, asking for her onii-chan, Isis was asking something about her brother desperately, and Yuugi was trying to calm everyone down, without of course succeeding.

Perky Blue was at her limit. She covered her ears and crawled into a corner, ready to start crying. _Rin-sama, please help me! What did I do to deserve this? _She couldn't even communicate with any of the Stiah anymore! "All of you, SHUT UP!" She ordered them and shot up. They stopped, just to hear what she had to say. "I don't have any authorization to give you details, but I assure you, it's for your own safety! Please, stay calm!"

"We don't believe you! You tricked us once, who can guarantee you're not doing it again?" Anzu pinpointed.

"Because I honestly…" They started yelling again. "SHUT UP OR I'LL FEED YOU TO THE CANNIBALS!"

"Like that's any different than being with a vampire!" Isis mocked at her.

"Speaking of which, is that Pink friend of yours coming over?" Otogi asked. "It's nothing but a friendly gesture, Shizuka-chan!" He hurryingly added the last part.

"Otogi you bastard, get serious!" Honda and Anzu were literally ready to eat him themselves.

Perky Blue buried her face in her hands. She didn't have any way to ask for Rin's permission, so she would just risk it and tell them everything. At least, they would be quiet for as long as she would be talking. "Okay! Okay! I'll explain every single thing to you! Just… listen!" And it did work. It took her long enough to explain Morana and Rin's scheme, plus Melania's dark side and Scott's ambiguous moves. They were quiet until the end. When she finished, she sighed. "And that's why you absolutely can't go back there! You'll only be an obstacle. Sit here patiently… and have some faith to your old friends. And I'm not even sure I should've told you all of this! Be thankful that I didn't have any way to communicate with Rin-sama."

They soon forgot about her, and started gossiping and guessing about how would things continue from then on. Perky Blue sighed in relief, but also noticed that Kaiba was scribbling something again. When he gave it to her and she read it, she started crying again.

_Graham Bell _did _invent the telephone, you know. _

Back in Domino, Rin couldn't stop touching her lips. Bakura Ryou was nothing like she remembered. She was never able to overcome the feelings of guilt when, in her insane hunger, she turned this kind boy into a vampire and forced him to feed off other people. Like the mind-raping he had suffered so much from was not enough, near that sadistic Thief! And what did he mean when he said he missed her? Was he planning something? Oh damn… She couldn't take anymore intrigues; she was _this_ close to flip! Now that she knew Melania was planning to destroy the human race by using fairies and vampires altogether under her commands, she had to figure out Scott's side – she would currently assume he was with Melania – and what Atem had that she wanted to badly. She couldn't have Bakura to worry about too! "Fucking Thief, appear in front of me NOW!" She stomped her foot down.

Yami Bakura revealed himself behind her. "I expected nothing less from the most feared vampiress!" Though the words were praising, she felt like he was scoffing her.

"Shut up. You can't hide that killer intent inside of you. Not in a million years." She was so _not_ in the mood to see him, but it had to be done.

"Funny, I only live for some thousands." He commented. "What do you want?"

"Answers. What were you doing here?"

"I just passed by to see how the one who destroyed my partner's life spends her day." He shrugged.

Rin felt the amazing impulse to strangle him, but she controlled herself. "How is he? Do you know what he wants? What he's planning?"

"How is he?" Yami Bakura repeated, and Rin understood that he was boiling from anger too. "How do you think? You turned him into a vampire, you showed that you cared and then you disappeared! He's more than devastated; he's empty! And you know what's worse? I can't control him anymore!" Rin rolled her eyes. Of course. Since when did pigs fly and Yami Bakura started caring so much for Ryou? The problem was himself. "I can't control him, which means that thanks to you, I don't…" He stopped.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but Ryou was never under your control since you got your separate bodies." Rin reminded him.

Yami Bakura shook his head negatively. "You're wrong. He was submissive. I could…"

"Fuck him?" Rin laughed malevolently. "What happened afterwards, he fucked you instead?" The Thief curled his fists and growled. Rin felt intensely the danger.

Before he could do anything, Rin had her dagger an inch away from his throat. They looked deeply into each other's eyes. Rin had her green lens, but he could see beyond that. His heart had started to ache again. He hated when this was happening. "He was shy, and he was kind. He had no backbone at all, and he was so vulnerable, but he could become happy with the smallest and most unimportant things." This was hard for him. "Now I don't know. It's like I don't know him anymore. I don't know what he is thinking or what he is planning. All that I know is…" He fidgeted, but his voice was stable when he spoke. "He was sweet. And I want him back." He was honest.

Rin opened her eyes, hyperventilating. This is a first time ... she began to sweat since she became a vampire. Standing up from her dark red bed, she crossed her arms and looked around her dark but safe room. No matter where in the world she is, the place she claims to be her room, is always the most safe place. There, she's herself, with all her fears, anger, sadness and plotting. But right now ... if she's even dreaming about Yami Bakura ... no, she has to visit him. And Bakura. And Malik. No more hiding. It's time to face some of her old demons.

On the other side of the city ...

"Wh-What?" Morana couldn't move. She couldn't believe that Melania was talking about it so crudely. "What are you saying?" So soon?

"I told you, dear!" Melania was beaming from distorted happiness. "Why should we, the magical creatures, be the ones to hide when we have all that power in our hands? We might be less in number than humans, but our powers can far surpass that weakness! Of course, I don't seek for something as silly as the destruction of the human race! We'll just make them our fateful servants! You know, butlers, workers, sex-slaves…"

"…And slaves in generally." Morana concluded, with wide disbelief. What the fuck?

"That's right!" Melania clapped her hands enthusiastically. "Isn't it great?" Her eyes narrowed. "You too think it's great, right Morana-chan?" She smiled creepily.

"Excuse me Melania-sama, of course I think you are right, but allow me to have some doubts about starting an all-out war with the humans!" Morana smiled kindly. Oh, she had a poker face that could kill when she wanted. Only Rin could compete with it. "What do you think?" She turned at Scott.

He smiled as well. "You know me, honey. Magical creatures versus humans equals war, war equals violent deaths, and that equals more food for me!" Even his eyes were smiling. Morana wondered when he would notice that she fed him with pseudo-souls of her friends.

"Don't worry dear Morana I have arranged everything!" Melania was hopping up and down now. "So I must ask you to capture many humans instead of killing them! But I hear," Her face became very devilish, "that Rin is already setting that into motion."

_Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck, he already noticed! _Morana confirmed that with glancing at Scott. He gave her a very knowing look. Cold sweat started running down her temples.

"Anyways, I must go now!" Melania chirped, and Morana almost fell down from surprise. "I'll be back soon to describe you a more detailed plan!" She disappeared into thin air, leaving Morana gaping.

"Close your mouth honey. A fly will get in." For the first time, Scott was sounding bitter.

She slowly turned towards him. "How much does she know?" She asked soullessly.

"She thinks that Rin acts all on her own, and she's not particularly bothered by it. She thinks that she gathers them like a food stock, but still, she suspects you. I didn't tell her about your part of the plan though." Scott walked towards her. "So honey," he started unbuttoning his shirt. "What will you do to keep me silent?"

At that time, the word 'whore' passed by Morana head with big, red, capital letters.

Rin stepped out of her room, still thinking about what to say to Malik when she sees him.

"Hm… Rin-sama?" Sickly Green broke her concetration. "Perky Blue calls from New Zealand. She's crying about something, but to be honest, I can't clearly understand her."

Rin sighed. She arrived near the phone, but Poison Pink had already claimed it. "Aw, Otogi-kun, you're so sweet, stop, you're embarrassing me!"

Rin coughed loudly, and Poison Pink dropped the phone. Nevertheless, Rin was in such a good mood, she could overlook the fact that Pink was charging her to New Zeland to sweet-talk with Otogi. She picked it up. "Otogi you freak, give me Blue."

Back in Jou's house, Jou and Mai were making out on his couch. The dangerous situation had given them the perfect excuse of 'we could die tomorrow, at least we should live our feelings to the extreme' and now nobody could take his hands of the other. That's why when the phone rang, Jounouchi almost swore out loud. "What?" He picked up, extremely annoyed.

His blood froze when he listened to Rin's voice: "Jounouchi you're flying to New Zealand. NOW!"


	9. Years without rain

Rin stood across the street from Bakura's house. Demons from the past haunted her. It was in the dead of night. Only pure sociopaths would be lurking the streets now. And speaking of sociopaths … Yami Malik's scent was drifting three blocks away.

But _his_ scent was all around her. _He_ was standing behind her. In the shadows, a little far from her. Street lamp comfortably shined down upon her small figure, long black hair and dark red eyes. But light was not _his_ style, _he_ preferred to stay hidden by shadows. Normal human eye could not see him in the darkness, and neither did Rin because she choose to keep the proper distance and keep _him_ behind her back. _His_ scent was enough.

»Do you regret losing green colour of your eyes?«

»No … I don't mind it.«

Silence was heavy … at least for her.

»How was Bakura after I … left?«

He chuckled evilly.

»At first, not very good. But I modeled him good. He's like me now! I like it. We're sort of partners in crime. He's still submissive to me … after all, now I'm all he has.«

Rin closed her eyes. So Yami Bakura took advantage of the situation and turned Bakura into hateful person he is now. Is it too late to come now and try to … save some of the old Bakura? Opening her eyes, she wasn't sure how to continue this conversation.

»You've matured.«

»Really?«

»You're no longer that loud, obnoxious girl. You're calculated and sly woman.«

»I am living different life now. I died yet I live. It has it's toll on me.«

»Unlike on Morana.«

Dead on. He always knew how to hit the problem dead on. Even Morana hasn't noticed Rin's mental state.

Morana _lived_. She truly _lived_. She just stopped ageing. But … it's not like that with vampires. Rin had to die to wake up again. She's dead. She's a corpse. She's not warm. She … is against nature's laws.

A small ironic smile crept on her lips. Why among all inspiring and amazing people and creatures in this world, it's Yami Bakura, a sadistic blood-thirsty serial killer and sociopath, who understands? But does he really understand? Knowing something isn't the same as understanding.

»How's Malik?« she asked, ignoring his previous provocation. He grunted something, suddenly in a bad mood.

»Last time I saw you, you hit me,« she suddenly whispered. She felt him come a step closer to her back to hear what she whispered.

»I know. I didn't know Bakura would turn out so good,« he said, satisfied.

»I can't forgive that.«

»Who asked for your forgiveness? Who do you think you are?«

»I'll never forgive a man who hit me.«

He laughed loudly, sadistically. Before he could stop laughing she flew away without him noticing.

***M & R***

»Relax,« said Morana, leading Jounouchi down the hall, »it's nothing to be afraid of. You've been called here only to make your sister feel better. Now that the truth is out, no reason to hide it from the rest of you.«

»MY SISTER? How- wait- why-? What are you talking about? What is SHE doing here?« he screamed, pointing at Perky Blue, who winked at him.

»Rin told me to take you here, she has something to do, that's why I'm here,« continued Morana, ignoring his panic attack.

»Rin? I don't under-«

»Yeah, yeah, get in,« she cut him off and pushed him through open door where 'guests' were. As soon as she was seen, Isis opened her mouth, probably to ask about her brother. Morana would gladly answer her worries, but Seto Kaiba got out of his seat, walking towards her, so she quickly turned away and motioned for Perky Blue to close the door.

The door slammed right in Kaiba's face, but he screamed through it: »We need to talk!«

She kept walking.

»Please!«

_Please_? She stopped. There was nothing left to say to him, so-

»Here you go,« she heard Perky Blue's voice. She turned around just to see Perky Blue opening the door for Kaiba.

»Perky Blue! What are you doing? Close it!«

Blue girl looked at her with a wide smile and a raised eyebrow.

»Firstly, Morana-san, I only take Rin-sama's orders, not yours. Secondly, I love happy endings, so why don't you two work it out?«

Much to Morana's surprise, Kaiba didn't comment. He seemed hurt and lost.

»Fine. Let's go into the library.«

As she lead the way, he followed her closely, like he'd be afraid she'll run away. Opening library door, she stopped in the middle of it.

»What did you want to talk to me about?« Morana's voice was dry and quiet. She stood far away from him as possible, with her back facing him. He made no movements, but he did sigh. Not exasperated sigh, but a nervous one.

»I … Morana, look …«

She closed her eyes. This was the first time he had used her 'new' name. Strange feeling shot through her body. Fear of her carefully build defensive wall around her crumbling apart because his voice sounded so … warm. Naturally, it was only Seto who had the power to lower her defences … but only when he was like he is now. Showing a side of him no one else, except Mokuba, is allowed to see.

Her heart started to beat fast. No, no, no. Her self-control is like a stone wall, she spend three and a half years mind training it, yet this guy can break it like a house of cards. She must calm down. Don't let old, forgotten stupid romance get to her.

»After … Perky Blue told us what's really happening …«

He moved closer to her. She turned around and clenched hands into fists so that they would stop shaking. His gaze was intense, almost too intense for her and she wanted to cut him off, fly away, keep the distance between them …

… but a very small part of her wanted to stay so desperately to hear the truth. If she goes now, Seto might never swallow his pride again and she will spend eternity in regret, wondering what he wanted to say …

»Morana,« he said huskily. It showed on his face that he has been through a lot this couple of days. He looked tired and very, very sad. Morana knew him enough to know, he never showed this expression to anyone. So she is still the only one he feels comfortable enough to be himself with …

»It's been such a … a mess since you and Rin came back. And … I …« He swallowed. Morana's head started to hurt at the back and she inhaled sharply, knowing this kind of pressure in the head means she'll start crying soon which she really didn't want him to see.

»I … I played my part well. Acted like everyone expected me to. But inside …« He swallowed again. It was so hard … so hard for Seto Kaiba to talk about his … feelings.

_Do me favour, Seto. For once in your life, drop your defenses and be honest with your emotions. There is a person who you once tried to protect by your defenses and it only cut her so deeply, she bleeds to this day, though she won't admit it._

Mokuba's letter danced through his mind. For this once … maybe … he really should …

»I know … we know … this is not about vampires, fairies, Melania or saving the world we're talking about,« she whispered, »it's …« he voice broke off and tears gathered in her eyes. She wanted to look elsewhere and blink them away, but she didn't. Instead, her now blurry gaze was fixed stubbornly on the man before her, determined to find out the truth.

» …about us,« he finished her sentence with a whisper, like it was to hard for him to speak it out loud. She took a step forward, completely casting aside any emotionless mask and self-control. If he's showing her his true face, then so will she.

»Seto, I need to know the truth.«

He closed his eyes for a moment when she spoke his name.

»I need to know … was there even an _us_ back then.«

»No,« he said, shaking his head, looking her in the eyes. »There was not an 'us'. But … after … after you …«

Suddenly he raised his arms and buried hands in his hair, frustrated. He took three deep breaths, before calming down and opening his eyes, looking at her with an expression of a broken man.

»Aftern you left … it was a _drought_. A never-ending drought. It was so dry ... never-ending desert. Not even a sand storm, not even a breeze.«

»I'm not sure what you're trying to say to me,« she whispered. Two hot tears made their way down her cheek, closely followed by two more. She stepped closer and closer to him, never breaking their gaze. He didn't step back. »But I know how it feels. Like wondering a desert for a thousand days … with no rain to ease you. To refresh you. To save you.«

They were so close now. He just nodded, his eyes unusually emotional. Like he made his soul empty, completely empty, just so he can fill it again. With rain.

»Day without you is like a year without rain.«

The truth.

Finally.

They hugged intensely, passionately and Morana cried harder.

»Let's start over again,« he whispered.

»I'd like that.« She smiled with all her heart after a long, long time.

But it was short lived. When they separated, her eyes were dry and moment of magic vanished like a bubble. Reality shadowed their fragile bodies again, like a looming cloud ruining a sunny day.

Rain never lasts long in the desert.

»It's foolish, though. I'm immortal and you're … not.«

»But we can still … be like … we were back then.«

»You mean friends?« she smiled shortly. It was amusing Seto still couldn't say 'we're friends' to anyone.

»Y-yeah …« his voice trailed.

For a moment, they stood there, staring at each other. Then she sighed, and walked out of the room, leaving Seto there alone with his thoughts.

Every step she took was so heavy. She feels so empty. How … how do you go on for eternity … knowing you will never be with the one you love?

Her steps became smaller, unsure and painful. Is Seto feeling the same way? Is this as far as they were allowed to go?

»Morana!«

His loud yell made her jump a little, but she turned around, holding her breath. He was standing by the door, with his usual serious expression.

»I'll do it.«

»D-do what?«

He swallowed.

»Take me to the Fairy Council. That is what you said I'd have to go, three years ago right?«

Her heart skipped a beat.

»Yes, but-«

»Even if I become a werewolf. I … want to become immortal.«

»Wow. I sure do pick the wrong time to show up.«

Morana and Kaiba jumped. Rin stood between them, looking a little guilty, but mostly amused.

»Carry on, carry on … I'll just go this way … to Perky Blue …«

When she passed Kaiba she hissed something like _you could use a little more hair_, giggled and disappeared.

Morana couldn't speak. Kaiba looked serious but also confused.

»Let's hurry,« she said happily, walking towards him with her hand streached out, »I'll fly you there. We need to hurry, come on.«

»Why do we need to hurry? So Melania doesn't find out?«

»No, she can find out, it's nothing she'd be against. We need to hurry before you change your mind!«


End file.
